Effective science communication in the face of water crises: a community perspective on challenges and best practice in HELPING
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Addressing global water crises demands effective communication across diverse audiences, especially in initiatives such as the scientific decade HELPING by the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). This study synthesizes insights from the hydrological community, gathered through interviews, workshops and a digital survey. We identify key challenges and best practices across three inter-related domains of communication: science–society interactions, policy–science interfaces and transdisciplinary research communication. Effective science–society interaction depends on community trust-building, transparent communication of uncertainty and inclusive engagement strategies. Strong policy–science interfaces benefit from bridging institutions and dedicated knowledge brokers. Transdisciplinary work improves when disciplinary siloing is reduced through common language and co-production. We summarize our findings in the FUSS framework, which promotes messages that are few, unambiguous, short and well-structured. We argue that advancing hydrological science in the face of water crises requires moving beyond one-way communication towards more dialogic, inclusive and context-sensitive approaches.
Date Issued
2026-03-06
Date Acceptance
2026-01-09
Citation
Hydrological Sciences Journal, 2026, 71 (6), pp.1207-1224
ISSN
0262-6667
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Start Page
1207
End Page
1224
Journal / Book Title
Hydrological Sciences Journal
Volume
71
Issue
6
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent
License URL
Identifier
10.1080/02626667.2026.2625282
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2026-03-06