USGS Home
Contact USGS
Search USGS

A Conversation with Bob Hirsch- The Science of Rowing

Dr. Robert Hirsch, Chief Hydrologist for the U.S. Geological Survey (1994-2008), talks with Jody Eimers about how rowing provides a metaphor for USGS Science.

Bob Hirsch:

So there are approximately eight person sculls going by. Eight rowers, eight oars and eight box seats, a launch alongside them. Their coach, let's go into the eight's bay.

So, these boats are called eights, they are for eight rowers and epoxy kind of boat that I row in. One of the things that I think is really remarkable about these boats, in addition to just their sheer size and the fact that a group of people has to lift them off the racks, move them out without bumping into any of the other boats, with all these riggers sticking out. But the other thing I wanted to show you is the steering mechanism where this enormous boat, we've got a skeg, which is a fixed like rudder center board and the rudder itself, which is this tiny little thing which is steering this entire boat. But, when you are underway, moving that tiny little rudder can turn the boat fairly quickly.

Jody Eimers:

Bob we are sitting in the Potomac Boat Club and you yourself are a rower. You row year round and work out in the cold winter months. Are there management and science metaphors that you can draw from in rowing?

Bob Hirsch:

One of the things is of course; the very obvious thing about rowing is teamwork. You have to be in absolutely perfect sync with the others that you are rowing with in order for the boat to move properly and to move efficiently. Some rowers row on the port side, some rower's row on the starboard side. It is sort of like we need the different disciplines and sub-disciplines to carry out the science of hydrology and we need to respect those different disciplines. We need people who focus on flow. We need people who concentrate on water quality. We need people who focus on ground water. We need all those different parts to make the thing work successfully.

The folks at the club actually are very aware of the USGS stream flow data at this site because it tells them basically the discharge of what is going through this reach. This is a tidal reach of river and in times of moderate to low flow, you can barely determine which way is upstream and which way is downstream because it is sloshing back and forth. But in the times of high water or floods, there is a very strong downstream current and at a certain discharge level they say it is unsafe to row and at even higher discharge levels they will start moving the boats out of here because something on the order of a five year or ten year recurrence interval flood, it will actually come into the boathouse and can do damage to the boats. And, they will often get a layer of silt in the boathouse that has to be washed out.

The other thing I would say about rowing is that rowing sculls are very sensitive and you can be a little bit off balance, down to the portside, or down to the starboard side. What coaches will tell you is, make tiny adjustments to get yourself back where you need to be, not big, bold movements, because you will send it off oscillating in the other direction.

The adjustments are very small and very subtle, but that is what is going to get the boat moving well. I think it is a strong metaphor for a very large scientific organization like the USGS. It could do remarkable things on a nationwide basis in developing information and delivering information. But, it cannot necessarily turn on a dime. It is through small adjustments in the way we work in the technologies we use, and the chain of command and interactions and processes. And it responds the best when the leader and in the case of a rowing scull, it is the Coxswain calls for adjustments, but minor adjustments that can do wonders to get the boat moving in a better direction.

But, you cannot change everything at once or you will end up getting out of balance and it is such a widespread and such a diverse organization. So, it is small adjustments, continually making small adjustments.

[End of Audio]

Duration: 5:39 minutes