The Canadian IHD program

Canadian efforts in hydrology have, as in most counties participation in this scientific undertaking, been stimulated as a result of the International Hydrologic Decade (1965-1974) IHD, with attention focused on the need for more complete understanding of the inter-relationship between components of the hydrologic cycle. Although Canada has been blessed with an estimated one-third of the worlds fresh water supplies, the lack of uniformity in its distribution results in problems for hydrologists and water management experts equal in magnitude to most regions of the world, since Canada’s land mass encompasses environments ranging from humid to semi-arid and arctic to temperate.The Canadian program, in addition to administrative problems being faced by the Canadian National committee, is reviewed to provide some appreciation of how Canadian hydrologists are striving to meet the challenge of the Decade Program by undertaking studies which, collectively, will cover all aspects of the hydrologic cycle.