Effective science communication in the face of water crises: a community perspective on challenges and best practice in HELPING
(2026) In Hydrological Sciences Journal- 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... (More)
- 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. © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4b87f421-25a5-4752-9723-c04634dc7cf2
- author
- Orieschnig, C. ; Duan, Z. LU and Zappa, M.
- author collaboration
- organization
- publishing date
- 2026
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- keywords
- HELPING, IAHS scientific decades, science communication, water crises, Best practices, Digital surveys, Effective communication, International Association, International association of hydrological science scientific decade, Research communication, Science communications, Trust building, Water crisis, Hydrology
- in
- Hydrological Sciences Journal
- publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:105032164727
- ISSN
- 0262-6667
- DOI
- 10.1080/02626667.2026.2625282
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 4b87f421-25a5-4752-9723-c04634dc7cf2
- date added to LUP
- 2026-04-02 15:27:55
- date last changed
- 2026-04-02 15:29:01
@article{4b87f421-25a5-4752-9723-c04634dc7cf2,
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. © 2026 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.}},
author = {{Orieschnig, C. and Duan, Z. and Zappa, M.}},
issn = {{0262-6667}},
keywords = {{HELPING; IAHS scientific decades; science communication; water crises; Best practices; Digital surveys; Effective communication; International Association; International association of hydrological science scientific decade; Research communication; Science communications; Trust building; Water crisis; Hydrology}},
language = {{eng}},
publisher = {{Taylor & Francis}},
series = {{Hydrological Sciences Journal}},
title = {{Effective science communication in the face of water crises: a community perspective on challenges and best practice in HELPING}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02626667.2026.2625282}},
doi = {{10.1080/02626667.2026.2625282}},
year = {{2026}},
}