King of Sweden to honour world’s leading flood expert with 2025 Stockholm Water Prize

Professor Blöschl is celebrated as the world’s leading flood hydrologist. His research has revealed why floods happen differently across regions and how climate change, land use, and human decisions together shape risk. His groundbreaking insights have not only changed science but also saved lives—most recently during the devastating 2024 Central European flood, when his forecasting tools helped guide evacuations and protect communities.

For Blöschl, water has been a lifelong fascination:Professor Blöschl is celebrated as the world’s leading flood hydrologist. His research has revealed why floods happen differently across regions and how climate change, land use, and human decisions together shape risk. His groundbreaking insights have not only changed science but also saved lives—most recently during the devastating 2024 Central European flood, when his forecasting tools helped guide evacuations and protect communities.

For Blöschl, water has been a lifelong fascination:“As a child, I built small dams in streams, fascinated by the way water carved patterns. That sense of wonder never left me.

Today, my work is about connecting the dots—across people as much as across processes—so that science helps protect lives and livelihoods.”

His pioneering contributions founded two new fields, regional process hydrology and sociohydrology, which link natural and human systems. These approaches have reshaped flood policies in countries like Austria and Germany and inspired new global standards for climate adaptation.Reflecting on seeing his research applied in real crises, Blöschl said:

“Behind every flood forecast is a community, a home, a life. Science is not just about prediction—it’s about responsibility. Knowing that our tools helped people stay safe during the 2024 flood was one of the most emotional moments of my career.”