Fifth RA VI HydroSOS Team Meeting - Highlights

The RA VI HydroSOS Task Team met to review progress in implementing HydroSOS across the region and to discuss priorities for 2026. The meeting brought together experts from the WMO Secretariat and regional hydrology specialists working to strengthen water monitoring and services.

Participants heard updates from the global HydroSOS team, noting that 21 HydroSOS products are already operational worldwide, with ongoing efforts to expand national contributions and improve the integration of global and national datasets.

Several European countries—including France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Romania—were identified as having strong potential to contribute to HydroSOS, building on their existing hydrological monitoring services and data systems.

Discussions also highlighted opportunities to strengthen links between HydroSOS and other global initiatives, including the Global State of Water Resources Report, as well as datasets from GeoGLOWS, the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) Water Service, and the ROBIN climate observatory project.

Work is continuing on technical guidance for HydroSOS products such as streamflow, groundwater, soil moisture and seasonal hydrological outlooks, alongside improvements to data processing tools and the development of automated data exchange mechanisms.

Romania shared updates on its national HydroSOS pilot, including efforts to align its existing hydrological status assessments and seasonal outlooks with HydroSOS indicators and the possible use of Copernicus climate services.

Looking ahead, a regional HydroSOS workshop for hydrological advisors is tentatively planned for 28 September 2026 in Bucharest, subject of confirmation. The workshop will aim to strengthen engagement with national hydrological services and support implementation of HydroSOS across the region.

To support these efforts, the team will review a simplified HydroSOS implementation plan for RA VI by the end of March 2026, followed by an online preparatory session in May to help countries identify gaps and prepare potential contributions.

Task team members were also encouraged to reach out to national hydrological advisors and focal points to promote participation in HydroSOS and gather inputs ahead of the September workshop.