Summary
This paper presents the outcomes of a large community initiative to identify and prioritise major unsolved scientific problems in hydrology. Through online consultation and two international workshops involving 230 hydrologists, the authors collated, ranked, and synthesised research questions spanning all scales and disciplines. The resulting 23 unsolved problems reflect the community's preference for continuity with past work whilst emphasising new priorities: understanding how environmental change propagates across hydrological interfaces, and addressing complex water management challenges arising from human–water feedbacks.
UK applicability
The prioritised research questions are internationally applicable and likely highly relevant to UK hydrology, particularly given concerns about water security, flood risk, and environmental change. UK hydrologists and water management practitioners should find the synthesised research agenda useful for aligning research strategy and policy support.
Key measures
Prioritised research questions in hydrology; community consensus on unsolved scientific problems; thematic synthesis of research directions
Outcomes reported
The study identified and synthesised 23 unsolved problems in hydrology through community consultation and workshops involving 230 scientists. The analysis revealed research priorities focused on process-based understanding of hydrological variability, environmental change propagation, and human–water interactions.
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