The Arthur Thomas Ippen Award was established by the IAHR Council in 1977 to memorialise Professor Ippen, IAHR President (1959-1963), IAHR honorary member (1963-1974), and for many decades an inspirational leader in fluids research, hydraulic engineering and international co-operation and understanding.

The Award is made biennially by IAHR to one of its members who has demonstrated conspicuously outstanding ability, originality, and accomplishment in basic hydraulic research and/or applied hydraulic engineering, and who holds great promise for continuation of a high level of productivity in this profession.

In 2023 the 23rd Arthur Thomas Ippen Award was bestowed upon Prof. Chunhui Lu during the opening ceremony of the 40th IAHR World Congress in Vienna, Austria, on Monday 21 August.

The following Ippen lecture will be given in during the IAHR General Members Assembly from 18:00 to 18:30 CEST in Hall E at the Austria Center during the 40th IAHR World Congress in Vienna, Austria, on Thursday 24 August 2023.

Exploring natural and anthropogenic impacts on freshwater lens on small islands

The number of oceanic islands in the world is estimated to be more than 200,000 and the total area of these islands is roughly 6.7% of the Earth’s land area. Fresh groundwater lenses stored on oceanic islands are precious freshwater resources for local inhabitants and ecosystems. The geometry of the freshwater lens is impacted by a number of natural and anthropogenic factors including the size and shape of the island, geology, precipitation rate, tides, episodic ocean events, and human activities (e.g., pumping and land reclamation). This presentation shows a systematic study on the effects of these factors on the development of freshwater lenses, and a new concept that has the potential to significantly improve the fresh groundwater storage and maximum sustainable pumping rate in small oceanic islands.

>> Ippen Lecture: Exploring natural and anthropogenic impacts on freshwater lens on small islands