Steponas Kolupaila's contribution to hydrological science development

Gintaras Valiuškevičius

doi:10.5194/hgss-8-57-2017

Abstract

Abstract. Steponas Kolupaila (1892–1964) was an important figure in 20th century hydrology and one of the pioneers of scientific water gauging in Europe. His research on the reliability of hydrological data and measurement methods was particularly important and contributed to the development of empirical hydrological calculation methods. Kolupaila was one of the first who standardised water-gauging methods internationally. He created several original hydrological and hydraulic calculation methods (his discharge assessment method for winter period was particularly significant). His innate abilities and frequent travel made Kolupaila a universal specialist in various fields and an active public figure. He revealed his multilayered scientific and cultural experiences in his most famous book, Bibliography of Hydrometry. This book introduced the unique European hydrological-measurement and computation methods to the community of world hydrologists at that time and allowed the development and adaptation of these methods across the world.

Highlights

1 Introduction: important biographical background. This year marks 125 years since the birth of the famous hydrologist Steponas Kolupaila (Fig. 1). His contribution to the development of hydrological-measurement methodology, hydraulic equations and eastern European river-regime analysis is well known to specialists worldwide
There Kolupaila continued his scientific work: he translated his Hydrometry into German and published major work in Lithuanian – Hydraulics (Kolupaila, 1947a) – which he had prepared in Lithuania
The publication was prepared in Kaunas but the book was only published in Germany after the war

Summary

Introduction: important biographical background

This year marks 125 years since the birth of the famous hydrologist Steponas Kolupaila (Fig. 1) His contribution to the development of hydrological-measurement methodology, hydraulic equations and eastern European river-regime analysis is well known to specialists worldwide. The Russian Revolution was followed by political repression, and as a consequence Kolupaila moved to Lithuania in 1921 He taught disciplines related to geodesy, water management and hydraulics at Dotnuva Agricultural and Forestry School. In 1939–1940 Kolupaila published a two-volume textbook–monograph in Lithuanian, Hydrometry (Kolupaila, 1939, 1940a); it was the most significant publication in this field in Europe at that time (Pardé, 1965) While he lived in Lithuania, Kolupaila was active in the field of hydrology.

Valiuškevicius

Kolupaila – a theorist of hydrometry and hydraulics

Eastern European hydrological studies

Bibliography of Hydrometry

Concluding remarks