Researcher creates teaching tool for hydrology education
A new browser-based app from Virginia Tech and University of Zurich collaborators is making hydrology models easier to teach and learn.
Gannon's new app, built in collaboration with Seibert, lets students explore how rainfall, soils, and vegetation shape streamflow in watersheds around the world. All they need is a web browser. Photo by Max Esterhuizen for Virginia Tech.
When it rains, streams rise. When it stops, they fall.
That simple pattern is at the heart of hydrology. Teaching the science behind it has always been complicated, though. Students often need coding expertise and specialized software if they want to model this behavior.
A new web-based tool developed by hydrologist J.P. Gannon, collegiate associate professor in Virginia Tech's Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, is removing those barriers. Built in collaboration with University of Zurich scientist Jan Seibert, the app lets students explore how rainfall, soils, and vegetation shape streamflow in watersheds around the world. All they need is a web browser.
“Models are at the core of modern hydrology,” Gannon said. “But in most classrooms, the learning objectives are about understanding the concepts, not spending weeks troubleshooting code. This tool allows students to focus on a conceptual understanding of modeling.”
The work was published in Hydrological Processes.
Global data with local impact
The app draws on data from more than 700 watersheds worldwide using the open-source CARAVAN data set. Students can adjust conditions such as soil water storage or evapotranspiration and immediately see how streamflow responds. Advanced features, including Monte Carlo simulations and genetic algorithms, give upper-level students a chance to explore real-world modeling approaches.
Hosted online by the Consortium of Universities for the Advancement of Hydrologic Sciences, the tool works on any browser, from a smartphone to a classroom Chromebook. For instructors, this means that entire courses can now include modeling exercises without requiring expensive labs or steep technical prerequisites.
Early classroom trials at Virginia Tech suggest the approach is working. Students in both introductory and advanced hydrology courses reported a clearer understanding of how models function and greater confidence applying those ideas to real data. Virginia students preparing for careers in environmental consulting and natural resource management are already using the tool to connect classroom learning to challenges facing communities across the commonwealth.
Advanced features, including Monte Carlo simulations and genetic algorithms, give upper-level students a chance to explore real-world modeling approaches. Photo courtesy of Gannon.
Collaboration across borders
The project highlights the value of international collaboration. Seibert, a professor at the University of Zurich, has decades of experience using the HBV model, a widely applied hydrological framework. His expertise shaped the scientific foundation of the app, while Gannon contributed his experience designing intuitive teaching tools for the web. “By combining perspectives, we created something more widely useful than either of us could have done alone,” Gannon said.
Preparing future leaders
The project reflects Virginia Tech’s commitment to environmental stewardship and innovative teaching. By making complex concepts approachable, the university is preparing the next generation of scientists, policymakers, and residents to make informed decisions about water resources.
“This is about more than hydrology,” Gannon said. “It’s about giving students the tools they need to engage with environmental challenges in meaningful ways.”
The app is available at https://cuahsi.shinyapps.io/HBV-model/
Original study: DOI doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70184
