Bylaws of the AGU Hydrology Section

Back to Hydrology Section Home Page

Article 1. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Hydrology Section of the American Geophysical Union.

Article 2. Objectives

To promote the aims and activities of the American Geophysical Union within the field of hydrology and water resources including:

1. To promote the scientific study of hydrology and water resources and to make the results of such studies available to the public by
   1. scientific discussion, publication, and other dissemination of information, and
   2. by sponsorship of scientific and technical symposia, colloquia, and meetings.
2. To initiate and participate in hydrologic and water resource research programs including those which depend upon international cooperation.
3. To promote cooperation among those scientific organizations whose objectives include furtherance of knowledge in the hydrologic and water resource disciplines.

Article 3. Membership

1. Types of members are as defined in Article 2 of the Union Bylaws.
2. Members of the Section shall be all classifications of Union members who indicate an interest in affiliation with this Section.
3. A Union member who becomes an inactive member of the Union shall also become an inactive member of the Section.
4. Any member of the Section who ceases to be a member of the Union shall also cease to be a member of the Section.
5. All Section members who are classified under Article 2, Sections a, b, or c, of the Union Statutes are eligible to hold office in the Section.

Article 4. Administration and Officers’ Duties

1. Officers — The officers of the Section shall be a President, a President-Elect, and a Secretary, and they shall constitute the Executive Subcommittee of the Section. The officers shall be members under Article 2, Sections a, b, or c, of the Union Statutes.
2. Term of Office — The Section officers shall serve a two-year term, without honorarium, coincident with the term of the Union Officers. The Secretary’s term shall be renewable to provide continuity. The President shall not be eligible for reelection for at least two years. If any office becomes vacant, the Executive Committee of the Section shall designate a successor to complete the term. Officers designated by the Executive Committee can not hold office, without election, beyond the term of their predecessor.
3. Executive Committee — The Section shall have an Executive Committee which shall consist of the Executive Subcommittee, the most recent Past President of the Section (if available), the Hydrology Section Chairs for the Fall and Spring Meetings, the Editor-in-Chief of Water Resources Research, the Hydrology Section Web Editor, one Liaison member, and one student representative. The Liaison and student members shall be appointed by the Section President with the recommendation and approval of the remainder of the Executive Subcommittee for a one-year term.
4. Duties of the President — The President shall preside at meetings of the Section and of the Executive Committee. The President shall appoint members to Section committees and task groups and have the power to withdraw appointments made while in office or by previous Presidents, subject to approval of the Executive Committee. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all Section task groups or committees. The President shall be a voting member of the Union Council and shall attend, or appoint an alternate to attend and vote, at all Council meetings and also when necessary to appoint an alternate to vote in place of the President-Elect if such officer is unable to attend the Council meeting.
5. Duties of the President-Elect — The President-Elect shall assume the duties and powers of the President, at the request of the President or in the absence or incapacity of the President. The President-Elect shall be a voting member of the Union Council and should attend all Council meetings. The President-Elect shall have such other powers and duties as may be assigned by the President. The President-Elect shall succeed the President at the end of the President’s term of office.
6. Duties of the Secretary — The Secretary shall prepare the official minutes of all meetings of the Section and of the Executive Committee and submit a brief report of such meetings for publication in Eos; as appropriate. The Secretary shall handle all general correspondence of the Section; maintain and distribute an accurate list of task group and committee members, addresses, and year of appointment; issue notice of all Section and Executive Committee meetings; conduct letter ballots for the Section; receive and disperse Section funds as authorized by the Executive Committee of the Section and Council of the Union; in the absence of a designated alternate, the Secretary shall represent the absent President at meetings of the Council (or the President-Elect, if not serving for the President); and perform such other duties as may be delegated by the Section President. The Secretary shall also serve on the editorial board of the Water Resources Monographs. The Section Secretary is to be encouraged to seek re-election.

Article 5. Nomination and Election of Section Officers

1. Nominations — At least six months before the general election, an ad hoc Nominations Committee composed of at least three Section members, shall be appointed by the Section President subject to the approval of the Executive Subcommittee. One member of the Nominations Committee shall be the most recent Past President of the Section (if available), who will serve as Chair. The Nominations Committee shall submit to the Section President a slate of at least two nominees for the office of Section President-Elect, and at least two nominees for the office of Section Secretary.
2. Elections — The general election shall take place by letter ballot at the end of the 30-day notification period. A majority of the votes cast shall be necessary for election to an office. The term of office for all officers shall begin on July 1 following the elections. Any Section Officer may be removed for non performance of duties by an affirmative vote of 70 percent of the Section Executive Committee.

Article 6. Divisions, Committees, and Task Groups

1. Committees — The Section will have four permanent standing committees:

   1. The Hydrologic Sciences Award Committee

      The award is to be given for an outstanding contribution to the Science of Hydrology. All contributions made over a career can be considered but more weight should be given to the last five years. The contribution may be:

      1. a single outstanding paper published in any journal;
      2. a series of papers which, taken together, define an outstanding contribution;
      3. a service to the science which makes an outstanding contribution e.g., an outstanding meeting leading to a change in the science;
      4. any other contribution which the nominations committee considers worthy.

      Procedure: The Committee will make a recommendation to the Section President as to the Awardee. The Section President with the concurrence of the Executive Subcommittee will have a veto power, and may return any recommendation to the Committee for further consideration.

      The Award cannot be given more than once in each calendar year. The Award can be passed over in any calendar year should the Committee or the Executive Subcommittee deem no one is eligible.

      Nominations: Nominations for the Award will be accepted from any member of AGU. They must be accompanied by a written statement which provides the basis for nomination.

      Eligibility: Any member of the scientific community is eligible for the Award. However, no one individual may receive the Award more than once.

      Committee Membership: The Committee will consist of five members each of whom will have a tenure of three years. Members will have overlapping terms to provide continuity to the Committee. The Section President, with the approval of the Executive Subcommittee, will select members for the committee.

   2. The Horton Student Research Grant Committee

      In accordance with the terms of the late Robert E. Horton’s bequest to the AGU, the Horton Fund is to be used for the furtherance of hydrologic science. The Committee will evaluate proposals and make recommendations to the Section President relative to expenditures from the income of the Horton Fund. Policy on types of grants shall be authorized by the Executive Committee. The Committee has been authorized by the Section Executive Committee to seek and evaluate proposals for small grants to support research by graduate students in hydrology and water resources.

      The Section President and the Executive Subcommittee will, if they concur with the Committee recommendations, see that the awards are prepared by the AGU staff and publicized in Eos.

      The Chair at the Committee shall schedule and coordinate the business of the Committee with the AGU staff and the President of the Section so that the selection of the awardee can be finalized at least four weeks prior to the AGU Meeting where the awards will be presented.

      Eligibility: Any student member of the AGU is eligible to receive a Horton Grant for aid in hydrologic research.

      Committee Membership: The Committee shall consist of five members each of whom shall have a tenure of three years. Members will have overlapping terms to provide continuity to the Committee. The Section President, with the approval of the Executive Subcommittee, will select members for the committee.

   3. The Fellows Nominating Committee

      The Committee shall consist of the President-Elect of the Section (Chair), and four members with terms of three years. All are to be appointed by the President of the Section, with approval of the Executive Subcommittee. Preference shall be given to current Fellows.

      The Fellows Nominating Committee is to select annually the permissible number of AGU members who, “for acknowledged eminence in some branch of geophysics,” shall be the nominees of the Section to the AGU Committee on Fellows. The names of these nominees shall be kept confidential.

      The Chair of the Committee shall schedule and coordinate the business of the Committee with the Chair of the AGU Committee on Fellows so as not to impede the business of the Union Committee.

   4. The Langbein Lecture Award Committee

      The Walter B. Langbein Lecture is the named lecture of the Hydrology Section. It was established in accordance with the guidelines for such lectures, approved by the AGU Executive Committee at its March 12, 1991 meeting. The Lectureship is to be awarded for lifetime contributions to the basic science of hydrology and/or unselfish service promoting cooperation in hydrologic research. Additional considerations may be the candidate’s renown as a lecturer and/or as an educator.

      Procedure: The Committee will make its recommendation of its first choice of the Langbein Lecture Awardee and of a runner-up (in case the first choice declines) to the Section President. The Section President with the concurrence of the Executive Subcommittee may accept or return any recommendation to the Committee for further consideration.

      The Lecture is to be presented once in each calendar year. The Lecture can be passed over in any year should the Committee or the Executive Subcommittee be unable to find an eligible candidate. The Awardee must consent to present the Lecture. If both the first choice and the runner-up decline, the lecture will be passed over for that year.

      Eligibility: Any member of the AGU may be awarded the Langbein Lectureship. No individual may receive the award more than once.

      Nominations: Nominations will be accepted from any member of the AGU.

      Committee Membership: The Committee will consist of three members, each of whom shall have a tenure of three years. Members will have overlapping terms to ensure continuity. The Section President, with the approval of the Executive Subcommittee, will select members for the committee.

   5. Technical Committees

      In addition to the above three Committees, the Section may have other administrative and technical committees. Establishment of committees or discontinuance of existing committees is by action of the Section President, subject to the approval of the Section’s Executive Committee. Each such committee shall have a Chair and a Deputy Chair appointed by the President. Committee membership should be distributed so as to avoid geographical, organizational or other bias. The term of office of all committee chairs shall not extend beyond the term of office of the appointing President, but committee chairs may be reappointed by the incoming President.

      Task Groups: Special task groups may be appointed by the President to undertake particular projects of limited duration. The term of appointment normally should not extend beyond that of the President but the term may be extended if necessary to bring the project to completion.

2. Subcommittees — The Section will have four permanent standing subcommittees:

   1. Liaison Subcommittee

      This committee will help with coordination between the Hydrology Section and relevant government agencies and professional organizations. The chair of the subcommittee will serve on the Executive Committee. The chair will rotate each year. The subcommittee will meet at least once per year at an AGU annual meeting. The committee will include liaison representatives from AWRA, CUAHSI, IAHS, NASA, NOAA, NRC, NSF, USGS, and others.

   2. Technical Committee Chairs Subcommittee

      This subcommittee will help facilitate meeting planning and science activities that support the section membership. The subcommittee members are the chairs of the Hydrology Section Technical Committees. The Hydrology Section Secretary will chair the committee. The committee will meet at the AGU annual meetings.

   3. Awards Subcommittee

      This committee will promote and coordinate the honors and awards activities of the section. The subcommittee will include the chairs of the Fellows Committee, the Hydrology Section Award Committee, the Langbein Lecture Committee, the Horton Student Research Grant Committee, the Ad Hoc Nominating Committee, and the Outstanding Student Paper Award Committee. The Hydrology Section President-Elect, who serves at the chair of the Fellows Committee, will chair the Awards Subcommittee. The subcommittee will meet at least once per year an AGU annual meeting.

   4. Student Subcommittee

      This committee with promote and facilitate student involvement in AGU and the Hydrology Section’s activities. The chair of the subcommittee will serve on the Executive Committee. The chair will rotate each year. The members of the subcommittee shall consist of members appointed by the Section President based on nominations from the Technical Committee chairs.

Article 7. Meetings

1. The Section may hold as many Section meetings, or Executive Committee meetings, and at such locations, as may be deemed desirable by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a year at an AGU annual meeting and this meeting shall be open to the members. The chairs of Hydrology Section Committees, and Liaison representatives from related professional societies, should be encouraged to attend the Executive Committee Meetings.
2. Written minutes shall be prepared for each Section, committee, and task group meeting and copies shall be distributed to the Union’s General Secretary and to Section committee, or task group members, respectively.
3. A quorum for all business meetings shall be those present at the meeting. A quorum for the Executive Committee and other committee and task group meetings shall be one-third of the total membership of these committees or task groups.

4. Program Chairs, Spring and Fall AGU meetings — The Program Chairs are responsible for all phases of the program contributed by the Hydrology Section. They are the chief points of contact, negotiators, and representatives between their Section members and the Meeting Chair and AGU staff. With this responsibility goes the authority to accept or reject papers and to assemble sessions which in their judgement best fit the needs of the Section. The Program Chairs may authorize special sessions and delegate the organization of these special sessions to other individuals. Program Chairs are appointed by the Union President, upon recommendation of the Executive Subcommittee.

   The Program Chairs prepare descriptive material for the special sessions to be published in the Call for Papers prior to the meeting. They work with the organizers of the special sessions and with the contributed abstracts to compose the overall program for their session. Each accepted abstract must be scheduled in the Section program or transferred to another Section. The overall program must fit the guidelines on facilities which will be supplied by the AGU Meetings Chair (i.e. it may be necessary for the Program Chair to juggle and reallocate both space and time by a judicious use of poster sessions, special sessions, and parallel sessions). The Program Chairs will attend the Program Chairs’ meeting which occurs approximately three weeks after the abstract deadline and at which the room assignments and schedules for all sessions are established. The Program Chairs will select session chairs for each of the sessions and will obtain the agreement to serve from each of the designated sessions’ Chairs. The Program Chairs will also work with the publicity agency selected by AGU and provide information including write-ups on particularly newsworthy papers.

5. Special session organizers — Special session organizers may be designated by the Program Chairs. Their function is to arrange for special sessions of invited or contributed papers based on a unifying theme. These sessions usually result from the activities of the Section Technical Committees and may or may not be co-sponsored by other sections of the Union. Special session organizers must coordinate their activities with the Program Chairs since the Section contact to AGU meeting planning is through the Program Chairs. Organizers of special sessions must ensure that the abstracts for their sessions are submitted to AGU Headquarters before the deadline. Prior to the Program Chairs’ meeting the special session organizers must provide the Program Chair with a list of the authors and titles, the time allocated for each paper, and the name and mailing address of the individual who has agreed to chair the session. The session organizers shall see that suitable announcements are sent in a timely manner.
6. Session Chairs — The primary duty of all Session Chairs is to see that the published schedule is followed. The starting time of each paper will appear in the program, and Session Chairs will be provided with a timer. Session Chairs may use any humane means necessary to stop a speaker who has exceeded the assigned time. Further details are provided each Session Chair by the Program Chair.

Article 8. Publications

The Section may publish a newsletter and other items of interest. The type of publication and the means of financing same shall be approved by the Union’s Executive Committee.

Article 9. Bylaws Amendments

Any member of the Section may propose to the Executive Committee an amendment to the Bylaws. Such a proposal shall be considered by the Section’s Executive Committee at its next regular meeting and when approved, forwarded to the Union’s Committee on Statutes and Bylaws. Upon approval of the Section Executive Committee and the Union Statutes and Bylaws Committee, the Bylaw shall be submitted to the AGU Council for final approval. In case of conflict with the Statutes and Bylaws of the Union, the Union takes precedence over the Section.

Article 10. Parliamentary Authority

Robert’s Rules of Order shall be followed except as otherwise specified in these Bylaws.

Adopted by Council May 30, 1983. Revisions Approved by Council May 27, 1993, May 26, 1994, and May 26, 2006.

Back to Hydrology Section Home Page