Peter S. Eagleson

The 1999 John Dalton Medal is awarded to Peter S. Eagleson for his outstanding contributions to theoretical hydrology and his tireless promotion of hydrology as an Earth System science.

Peter S Eagleson’s interest in hydrology derived from his early background in Civil Engineering. His book “Dynamic Hydrology”, now regrettably out of print for many years, had a major impact on his hydrological colleagues, worldwide, who shared his view of hydrology as a distinct geoscience, grounded in physics. He subsequently chaired the US National Science Foundation Committee on “Opportunities in the Hydrological Sciences”. The report of this committee, “The Blue Book”, has become the manifesto for hydrology as an earth system science. It has had a formative influence on the foundation of the new EGS journal HESS: Hydrology and Earth System Science, and also on the structure of the HSA-branch of the Hydrological Sciences section of EGS.

The Hydrological Sciences section recently established the Dalton medal for outstanding achievement in theoretical hydrology as an Earth Science. On behalf of the Hydrological Sciences section, it is a pleasure to congratulate Peter Eagleson with the award on the John Dalton medal.

Newsletter 71, 23, 1999