Conclusion and extension of protocol

Hydrological events with dramatic consequences have continued to occur throughout the year during which this volume was prepared. As reported in the media, such events arouse suspicion that their incidence is not easily related to analogues within the period of continuous hydrological records, thus reinforcing the need for a better perspective on the context of past hydrological events. It is increasingly realised that investigation of such past events, from periods prior to the period of continuous hydrological records, will not simply provide a model or template for scenarios of global change.