Hydraulic Engineering Section - www.hydraulicengineering.tudelft.nl 

 

Best paper award for Bas Jonkman

The title of the winning paper is: Loss of life caused by the flooding of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina: Analysis of the relationship between flood characteristics and mortality. Co-authors are Bob Maaskant (TU Delft and HKV), Ezra Boyd and Marc Levitan (Louisiana State University). This paper has been published in scientific journal Risk Analysis and the award has been given to Bas Jonkman during the Conference of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) in Baltimore (December 2009).

Climate change - threat or challenge?

There seems to be consensus on the fact that the climate changes. The details, however, are heavily discussed. For instance, what part of the change is caused by human intervention and how much will the sea level rise in hundred years? Scientists of our group are highly involved in these discussions in order to contribute to the extension and dissemination of knowledge. On this page, an overview of activities is presented.

The New Delta Works Professor  Marcel Stive , professor in coastal engineering and member of our department, participated in the new Dutch Delta Committee that presented its report on flood protection to the Dutch government on Wednesday 3 September 2008. The new Delta Committee (its official name is "Staatscommissie voor Duurzame Kustontwikkeling", State Committee on Sustainable Coastal Development) concludes that the sea level rises more than expected until now. Therefore the Netherlands have to invest in dike improvement and sand suppletion along the coast. In total 12 main measures are proposed. Prime minister Balkenende already promised that a new law will be made to regulate the measures to be taken. The full report is available on the website of the Deltacommittee and more information can be found on http://www.waterforum.net/. An interview with prof. Stive appeared in a newspaper article in Technisch Weekblad, 13 September 2008. For background information, we prepared a page (in Dutch) with explanation and links to reports of both the first and the second Delta Committee.

The day before the Delta Committee presented its plans to the Dutch parliament, prof. Han Vrijling , chairman of our department, expressed his concerns on the government policy of the last years. There are lots of new ideas to deal with possible floodings, but the priority should be to take care of the dikes (article in Nederlands Dagblad, 2 September and in Algemeen Dagblad, 3 September). In Reformatorisch Dagblad (8 September 2008) prof. Vrijling mentioned it a wise decision of the Delta Committee to prolongate the through past centuries proven methods, although he mentions the (rather extreme) predicted sea level rise not necessary for all measures. In newspaper Trouw, 13 September 2008, prof Vrijling is in favour of the concept of traditional polders to cope with eventual climate change; they have proven their usefulness for centuries. In an article he clarifies his comments (pdf 75 kB, in Dutch), which he also presented at the symposion of Practische Studie on 27 November 2008, (pdf 1.6 MB, in Dutch). Stichting platteland in perspectief published the comments of mr. Vrijling (pdf, 4.4 MB, in Dutch) on the advice of the Delta Committee (Spil 2008, no. 5). Also 'Civiele Techniek' (2009, nr. 1/2) published an interview with mr. Vrijling, in which he argues not to prevail the creation of 'nature' over safety measures.

The presentation of prof. Vrijling in Paradiso can be found here (in Dutch). On Sunday 10 February 2008, Han Vrijling was one of the guests in TV programme 'Buitenhof', to discuss some recent innovative ideas for water protection and gave interviews and public lectures, like in Speakers, Delft (April 2008). Delta published an article (in Dutch, 14 February 2008) about some major hydraulic engineering plans, like a tulip island and energy basins, presented by the Dutch innovation platform. Is it old wine in new bottles, or real innovation? At last some very sensible words from our government: Dutch State Secretary Huizinga shares the opinion of prof. Han Vrijling that artificial islands in the North Sea will not protect the Netherlands sufficiently against sea level rise. The only achievement of these islands will be an additional coast line that will have to be protected and maintained. (Dutch newspaper Trouw, 10 June 2008).

Is our coast endangered...

...or will it withstand climate change for the time being?

Wim Kanning emphasised in Waterwonen Magazine 2008-2 (pdf, article in Dutch) that the Dutch citizens should not be scared of eventual flooding damages, but a cost-benefit analysis should be carried out carefully. Flood defences that at the moment do not meet the requirements should without doubt be improved. Kanning also commented on the planned bypass near Kampen (Delta 23 april 2009, article in Dutch). Due to supposed climate change, the discharge of the Rhine river, and thus the Gelderse IJssel, will show more fluctuations. To prevent the city of Kampen to flood in case of extremely high water, a bypass has been planned. However, by creating a relatively small compartment, the number of casualtues will probably increase in case of a dike failure. After all, the water will rise more quickly if it lows into smaller areas.

Also Wouter ter Horst, one of the founders of the Young Delta Committee, looked ahead and explained the ideas collected by the Young Delta Committee in radio programme Villa-VPRO (broadcast 2 September 2008).

 

Flood resilience

The affiliated Flood Resilience Group aims to advance scientific knowledge into integrated approaches to increase flood resilience of urban systems. The work focuses on the understanding of urban flood vulnerability and resilience and on the development and implementation of interventions and strategies that enhance urban flood resilience. The research currently undertaken is focused along two research lines: 1. Impacts (and their changes over time) including dispersed (moderate) floods and extreme events confined to the urban contex, and: 2. Effective interventions and strategies to enhance urban flood resilience.

 

 

 

Media attention archive

(newest items listed on top)

Scaled Water Power (Delta, 13 January 2010, article in Delta). The Laboratory of Fluidmechancis, which is part of our Department of Hydraulic Engineering, has to be reduced due to shortage of funding. Head of the Laboratory, prof. Wim Uijttewaal hopes that cooperation with Deltares (former Delft Hydraulics) will help.

Adventure in the River (Delta, 6 January 2010, article in Dutch). Kees Sloff, lecturer and researcher river morphology,  performed measurements in the Colorado river, climbed craters on Java to study vulcanic rivers and did research to gain insight in the river bed fall in Vietnam. His work is a big adventure.

Best paper award for Bas Jonkman (December 2009). The title of the winning paper is: Loss of life caused by the flooding of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina: Analysis of the relationship between flood characteristics and mortality. Co-authors are Bob Maaskant (TU Delft and HKV), Ezra Boyd and Marc Levitan (Louisiana State University). This paper has been published in scientific journal Risk Analysis and the award has been given to Bas Jonkman during the Conference of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) in Baltimore.

Professor Vrijling demonstrates negligence by the Corps of Engineers in New Orleans (04 January 2010). A testimony of professor Vrijling of TU-Delft has convinced an American judge to find the Corps of Engineers, the genius of the American army, guilty of causing the floods in a part of New Orleans during Katrina in 2005. According to the judge, these floods are the consequence of negligence by the Corps.

Breakwater in Lake  (De Telegraaf, 8 August 2009, article in Dutch). Henk Jan Verhagen answers a reader's question on the effectiveness of a breakwater in the Braassemermeer.

Student sails container vessel into Port of Rotterdam (TV broadcast TV Rijnmond 18 June 2009). One of our students, Pieter Nordbeck, joined a pilot to experience how a container vessel approaches Maasvlakte 1 (Rotterdam) coming from sea.

Safety first, then nature (article in Dutch, NRC Handelsblad, 12 June 2009). In a review of the book 'Waterwolven' by Cordula Rooijendijk, prof. Han Vrijling is quoted and a plea is made for a sensible approach of water management. The book gives a good description of the lives of Dutch famous hydraulic engineers, in the context of the development of measures to make living in a country lying below sea level more comfortable. We can recommend this book to all our students and other interested people.

You are marathon swimmers (article in Dutch, Delta 11 June 2009). 'Han Vrijling president of the United States' jokingly said senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana during her visit to Delft. Landrieu intends to cooperate with Delft University to accomplish a better coastal defence.

To continue is the least unfavourable option for the North-South line (article in Dutch, De Volkskrant 4 Juni 2009). A committee headed by former minister Cees Veerman advised the city council of Amsterdam on the metro line under construction. Some houses along the line were damaged because of leakage and subsidence. Prof. Han Vrijling was member of this committee and he states that the largest risk now is that the tunnel bore machine has to be stopped.

To stop would be too embarassing (article in Dutch, DePers.nl, 4 July 2009). Han Vrijling with respect to the future of the new metro line in Amsterdam: "It is like a visit to the dentist: he should not stop boring, even if it is going to hurt."

The engineer of ideas (article in Dutch, De Ingenieur, 1 May 2009). Ties Rijcken distinguishes between the present two types of engineers: specialists and generalists. Due to a changing society, however, there will be need for a third type: the 'engineer of ideas' who together with stakeholders seeks for solutions.

Discuss the contents (article in Dutch, Civiele Techniek 2009 nr. 1/2). The plans of the New Deltacommittee are based on a rather high assumption for the sea level rise. There is a lot of discussion about that now, but prof. Han Vrijling emphasises that the fact that the safety against floodings should increase with a factor 10 should be the focus of the debates.

Operate the taps to combat the water (article in Dutch, Financieel Dagblad, 23 March 2009). Ties Rijcken and Peter-Jules van Overloop present their ideas about water management in the future: few dike reinforcements but many control mechanisms.

Veerman committee appointed (Noord/Zuidlijn, article in Dutch, 4 March 2009). The city council of Amsterdam appointed a committee headed by prof. Cees Veerman. Han Vrijling was appointed as member for this committee, that will investigate what should be done with respect to the financial prognosis that has arisen now houses subsided along the line under construction.

Views on Dutch protection against high water levels (article in Dutch, Contact December 2008). Marcel Stive, member of the New Delta Committee, and Wim Kanning, member of the Young Deltacommittee, comment on the plans to protect the Netherlands against predicted high water levels.

Jetski used for measurement of sand bed (article in Dutch, Contact December 2008). Advise from the Delta Commission is clear. The coast must be more safe. To be exact, 10 times as safe for a minimum. One of the proposed methods to reach this safety is doing large scale sand nourishments. PhD-students Matthieu de Schipper and Sierd de Vries and MSc-student Bas van Son are searching for the best way to do this. Among other things by using a Jetski for measuring the sea bed.

Prevention is better than cure (article in Dutch, Contact December 2008). According to Ruben Jongejan this certainly applies to unwanted events with enormous damge, but a small possibility of occurence. Therefore, dike reinforcement should have higher priority than disaster management. 

Tidal power plant Brouwersdam technically achievable (article in Dutch, Contact December 2008). According to senior researcher Hans van Duivendijk, a water level fluctuation of 0.7 m in the Grevelingenmeer could supply more than 60.000 households with electricity.

Everything under safety flag (articel in Dutch, Techno! November 2008). The New Delta Committee advises to invest a lot of money, but only part of this amount of money benifits the safety against floodings. Even at this moment, 30% of the Dutch water defences doesn't meet the safety requirements.

Waterproof  (article in Dutch, Delta, 6 November 2008) is the name of a big national exercise organised by Taskforce Management Floodings. Prof. Vrijling did consultancy as an expert for this project. The exercise was carried out in the week of 3 November 2008. Administrators and emergency services simulated an approaching super storm.

Experts record 'Waterproof'   Bas Jonkman and Ruben Jongejan contributed to a national exercise, where a big flooding was simulated. More background information can be found on the website of the taskforce floodings.

They did not starve (article in Dutch, Delta 6 November 2008). At the time that Hoan Nguyen defended his doctoral thesis, his family in Vietnam ran away from floodings due to extreme rainfall. Supply of foof and fresh water is the biggest problem for the citizens in Hanoi.

Jet skis with radar (television broadcast, 15 September 2008, in Dutch) Television programme 'Nieuwslicht' shows interest in measurements along the coast with a jet ski. Marcel Stive, Matthieu de Schipper and Sierd de Vries were interviewed and filmed.

Lost in a Sea of nice Plans (article in Dutch, 12 september 2008). Professor Vrijling is in favour of the concept of traditional polders to cope with eventual climate change; they have proven their value for centuries.

Shortage of Civil Engineering graduate students (HCW krant, september 2008, article in Dutch). Consultancies and constructors urgently need young engineers, but the number of graduate students in Civil Engineering decreases.

Delta Committee does not give blueprint (article in Dutch, Technisch Weekblad 13 September 2008). Professor Marcel Stive, member of the New Delta Committee, gives an outline of the presented plans to protect the Netherlands against the threats of climate change.

Island in front of the coast is a flight in the clouds  (article in Dutch, Nederlands Dagblad, 2 seotember 2008). The day before the Delta Committee presented its plans to the Dutch parliament, prof. Han Vrijling , chairman of our department, expressed his concern on the government policy of the last years. There are lots of new ideas to deal with possible floodings, but the priority should be to take care of the dikes.

Natural gas fields to coastal defence  (article in Dutch, Algemeen Dagblad, 3 september 2008).

Delta Committee on the Right Way  (Reformatorisch Dagblad, 8 September 2008). Prof. Vrijling mentioned it a wise decision of the Delta Committee to prolongate the through past centuries proven methods, although he mentions the (rather extreme) predicted sea level rise not necessary for all measures.

Delta Committee pleas for Development of Deltaic Areas (article in Dutch, Waterwonen magazine, spring 2008). Wim Kanning emphasised that the Dutch citizens should not be scared of eventual flood damages, but a cost-benefit analysis should be carried out carefully. Flood defences that at the moment do not meet the requirements should without doubt be improved.

How to keep dry feet in the polder? (CDA.nl magazine, September 2008, in Dutch). Water specialists in discussion: Han Vrijling states that the Eastern Scheldt storm surge barrier can last longer than 100 yeras ahead. The elections of the district water boards should concentrate on safety and overdue maintenance.

Coastal crisis  (BBC television broadcast, 12 September 2008) Rising sea levels will have a major impact on the South East's coastline over the decades to come. It could result in the map of the region being completely redrawn. Even those miles from the sea could end up living under water. Professor Han Vrijling from Delft University says, "In Holland it is a national issue and the South East could use some better defence - if you look to the Netherlands, we spend million if not billions to defend the coast."

Who dares to criticise the deltaplan? (article in Dutch, De Volkskrant, 6 September 2008). Han Vrijling critisises the plan to widen the coast of South-Holland with hundreds of metres. This is not necessary with respect to flood defence. Huib de Vriend emphasizes that the plans have to be executed now.

Natural gas revenues for coastal defence (article in Dutch, Algemeen Dagblad 3 September 2008) Revenues of natural gas should be invested in improving the coastal defence in the Netherlands. Han Vrijling does not oppose these plans, but stresses that dike improvement is highly effective and necessary.

'Island in sea is flight in the clouds'  (article in Dutch, Nederlands Dagblad 2 September 2008). The day before the new delta committee presented its plans to the Dutch parliament, prof. Han Vrijling expressed his concern on the government policy of the last years. There are lots of new ideas to deal with possible floodings, but the priority should be to take care of the dikes.

The experience of Wouter ter Horst (radio broadcast Villa VPRO, 2 September 2008). Awaiting the new pland of the Dutch new delta committee, Wouter ter Horst explains what creative ideas have been collected by the Young Delta Committee. This Committee is a group of young hydraulic engineers, of whic Wouter is one of the founders.

The Tao of water management   (article in Dutch, Delta 28 August 2008). PhD-student Rongchao Li studied the problematic discharge distribution of the Yellow River in China. Han Vrijling and Huib de Vriend of our department joined her and her promotor Eelco van Beek on a working visit.

Sultry weather  (article in Dutch, BN | De Stem, vrijdag 1 augustus 2008). The Dutch meteorological institute KNMI states that climate change is almost certainly caused by human activities. Han Vrijling thinks the effects are over-estimated and relativates the threats.

Port of Rotterdam will be the cleanest and smartest (article in Dutch, Financieel Dagblad 4 July 2008). Prof Han Ligteringen and Ties Rijcken present the ambitions of the Port of Rotterdam. 

A tidal powerplant in the Brouwersdam (article in Dutch, Algemeen Dagblad, 27 June 2008). The Brouwersdam could supply 65.000 housekeepings with electricity, which should be generated by a tidal powerplant in the Brouwersdam (Zeeland). In the same time the quality of water and nature will improve, because the tidal movements will return in Grevelingen estuary. A team of Delft University of Technology, supervised by Hans van Duivendijk and Han Vrijling studied the feasibility of such a powerplant. Zicht op de Grevelingen, a magazine by Natuur- en Recreatieschap de Grevelingen also paid attention to these plans (September 2008).

A 21st century Renaissance Man (article in English, Delta, 26 June 2008) Ir. Ties Rijcken was recently awarded the Rotary Club's 'Leonardo Da Vinci Award' for his work as a scientist and artist. Rijcken is a gifted writer, photographer, inventor and an expert on floating buildings.

Dutch civil engineers are the 'good guys' in New Orleans (newspaper article in Trouw, 17 June 2008, in Dutch) Almost three years after the hurricane Katrina still one third of the original inhabitants did not return to New Orleans. Dutch water experts are engaged to improve safety in the town. Henk Jan Verhagen explains why.

Artificial islands in North Sea rejected by State Secretary (article in Dutch, Trouw, 10 June 2008). Dutch State Secretary Huizinga shares the opinion of prof. Han Vrijling that artificial islands will not protect the Netherlands sufficiently against sea level rise. The only achievement of these islands will be an additional coast line that has to be protected and maintained. See also the article in Delta of 12 June 2008 " No Island " (in Dutch).

Wide beach in front of Dutch coast  (streaming video wvx, RTL nieuws 09-06-2008 19:30 h, in Dutch). Tjerk Zitman comments on the plans of State Secretary Huizinga to widen the Dutch coastal area with sand to be distributed with help of natural processes.

Young Delta Committee - call for ideas (article in Dutch, De Volkskrant, 31 May 2008). The Delta Committee, appointed by the Dutch Government, studies possibilities to protect the Netherlands against floodings in future. This committee organized a brainstorm session for young hydraulic engineers, which resulted in the founding of the Young Delta Committee. This young committee, in which Wouter ter Horst, Bas Jonkman and Wim Kanning of our deparment participate, invites young engineers to think along and send in ideas (deadline: 16 June, 2008). See also www.jongedeltacommissie.nl.

Floating houses (article in Dutch, De Volkskrant 16 May 2008). Ties Rijcken stresses the advantages of living on the water. It is efficient, flexible and nice. However, some bureaucratic procedures have to be adapted to better facilitate this kind of living.

Race against the tides   (article in Dutch, Delta, 8 May 2008). Hydraulic Engineer Jasper Dijkstra and colleagues map the currents in a bay in Brittany. He hopes to understand why sea grass flourishes so well over there.

Wave jockeys map the sea bed (article in Dutch, Delta, 24 April 2008). Waves, currents and moving sandbanks are natural phenomena which the hydraulic engineers Sierd de Vries and Matthieu de Schipper gladly grasp into models. But before they start to count, they cross through the surf zone with their jet ski full of measurement equipment. (article in Dutch). 

Waken voor te veel wateronderzoek  (article in Dutch, BN/De Stem, 22 April 2008). Professor Huib de Vriend supports the idea to create a knowledge centre in Zeeland, but it should not be a duplicate of the study programmes in Delft and Wageningen.
Lecture 'In deep Water' by Han Vrijling (public lecture in English, streaming video, 15 April 2008). Sea levels are rising, and in the Netherlands we are constantly reminded of the dangers of floods in our own country and elsewhere in the world. The way in which we deal with an ever changing environment depends very strongly on the timescale we choose to consider. As with climate change, a policy for the next few years might look very different from a longer term vision. We can not tell if and for how long or how quickly the sea levels will keep rising. But in how much trouble are we really in the Netherlands? How do we deal with the risks, how do we implement the safety chain? Is there a sustainable way to adapt to our changing circumstances?

Lecture 'Buoyant Living' by Ties Rijcken (public lecture in English, streaming video, 8 April 2008). The climate changes, but are floating cities a solution for increasing flood risks?

Dutch innovation platform presents plans (article in Dutch, 14 February 2008). During the top conference 'winning with water', the Dutch innovation platform presented some major hydraulic engineering plans, like a tulip island and energy basins. Is it old wine in new bottles, or real innovation? Han Vrijling comments. 

On Sunday 10 February 2008, Han Vrijling was one of the guests in TV programme 'Buitenhof', to discuss some recent innovative ideas for water protection.

Han Vrijling first speaker in discourse series 'Earth laughs, earth cries' (article in Dutch, De Volkskrant, 12 January 2008). Nine scientists will discuss the state of our planet in a new series of discourses (Paradisolezingen). On Sunday 13 January 2008, Hydraulic Engineer prof.dr.ir. Han Vrijling was the first speaker.

Sand motor for extra coast  (article in Dutch, AD/ Haagsche Courant 7 January 2008, see also De Telegraaf). If the planned test appears to be successful, the coast between Scheveningen and Hoek van Holland (Netherlands) will shift 150 m seaward, caused by artificial accretion of sand. Marcel Stive contributed to the plans.

No sea too high (newspaper article in Dutch, December 2007). According to Delft scientists the erosion of beach and dunes can bedealt with for centuries. Even a sea level rise of 1.5 m/century will not be a major problem, expects Marcel Stive, especially if dunes will be broadened and sea dikes will be made higher. Articles appeared in Dagblad van het Noorden, Het Parool, Leeuwarder Courant en Nederlands Dagblad.

Dredgers and engineers would like to create an island in the North Sea (article in Dutch, NRC 10-11-2007). Plans to create land in the Nort Sea will be dicussed in future, but Hydraulic Engineers state that it is technically no problem to create islands before the coast. Han Vrijling and Henk Jan Verhagen clarify the possibilities.

Leak in Eastern Scheldt storm surge barier (article in Dutch, Algemeen Dagblad, 15 November 2007). The storm surge barrier is less safe than has been assumed. Half of the barrier could fail to close in case of fire. This was not taken into account with the design, according to Han Vrijling.

Sonic waves in the Waal river (article in Dutch, Delta 18-10-2007). The Dutch Ministry of Waterways and Public Works found a new way to keep rivers navigable: by dumping sand. Erik Mosselman, researcher in our group, and Arjan Sieben, ex-PhD-student, give an explanation.

New glue to reinforce dikes (article in Dutch, Delta, 18-10-2007). DUT tested a method to improve dike resistance against waves, by means of a top layer of glued stones. Henk Jan Verhagen and student Dehua Gu tested the impermeability of the top layer.

Delta committee (article in Dutch, Delta 11-10-2007). The Dutch Ministry of Waterways and Public Works appointed a new Delta Committee. Prof. Marcel Stive, member of this committee, states that the committee should urge the authorities to improve water defences soon.

Back to engineering (article in Dutch, Rotterdams i-blad, October 2007). In this interview Jarit de Gijt, lecturer Hydraulic Structures, relates about his work at Delft University. "Nothing is more fun than to play with sand and water."

The seadefence of Hondsbosch and Petten is dangerously weak (article in Dutch, Dagblad Tubantia/Twentsche Courant, 08 October 2007). The sea defence of Hondsbosch and Petten is dangerously weak, claims the Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier and the Province in Noord-Holland. Can the Netherlands still handle the sea? Professor Marcel Stive gives comment, also in Delta of 4 October 2007 (in Dutch).

Orders of billions  (article in Dutch, Delta 27 August 2007). Dutch consulting engineers will design a harbour in Suez Canal, widen the Panama Canal and spout up islands on the shore of Dubai. Henk Jan Verhagen and Han Ligteringen explain how these megaprojects will also be benefitial for Delft University.

Persisting struggle with the sea (article in Dutch, Algemeen Dagblad September 2007). Henk Jan Verhagen comments on the necessity of dike enlargements in the Netherlands.

Elastocoast as coastal defence  (podcast BASF in German, September 2007). Henk Jan Verhagen about elastocoast as coastal defense.

New international Rock Manual (article in Dutch, Land+Water, April 2007). Henk Jan Verhagen exemplifies the new European manual for the use of rock in hydraulic engineering.

Integral planning not common in the USA (newspaper article in Dutch, Trouw, 30 August 2007). American agencies have asked experts from the Dutch lowlands to explain what went wrong in Louisiana, and how a second disaster can be prevented. Professor Han Vrijling of Delft Universty recently visited New Orleans.

The Netherlands is not enough prepared for disasters  (broadcast NOS news in Dutch, 20 August 2007). Floods, terrorism and failure of computer networks can lead to social disruption of Dutch society. That is the conclusion of a report of some Dutch ministeries. Han Vrijling is one of the experts who gave his opinion on flood management during the NOS News. He also commented this report in NRC Handelsblad of 21 August 2007 (article in Dutch).

The sunny side of climate change  (radio programme in Dutch, 30 July 2007). If parts of the Netherlands will be flooded because of sea level rise, what hinders us to live over the water? In Hoe?zo! Radio an interview with Frits Schoute, emeritus professor multimedia systems and Ties Rijcken of Delft University.

Hurray, the climate changes!  (radio programme in Dutch, 3 July 2007). Climate change appears to be booming business!. A.o. Huib de Vriend, professor River Engineering of Delft University.

Artificial reefs Scheveningen (article in Dutch, Delta 1 July 2007). To prevent that the beach of Scheveningen will be eroded completely in 2050, the dutch directorate for public works and water management studies the possibility of an artificial reef. Henk Jan Verhagen doubts if this is a good solution of the problem.

Maeslant barrier can still be saved (article in Dutch, De Volkskrant 10 May 2007). The Ministery of Transport and Infrastructure of the Netherlands considers safety of the Maeslantkering to be insufficient and wants to heighten the dikes behind the barrier. Wouter ter Horst proposes to improve the barrier itself.

Geotubes filled with soft dredged material (article in Dutch, Cobouw  24 May 2007). Building the "Afsluitdijk" in 2007 would be done with Geotubes. An interview with ir. Jarit de Gijt.  

Study of sea grass (article in Dutch, Delta 2007-39). PhD-student Jasper Dijkstra explains the relevance of his research.

Dredging depositories (article in Dutch in Delta, 19 April 2007). Bart van der Schrieck asserts that the risk of pollution by dredging depositories turns out better than expected.

Water revolution in the Netherlands (article in French, Le Monde 3 April 2007). Marcel Stive asserts that up to 1 meter sea level rise can be dealty with using the present system of coastal defence.

Scientific presentation contest . Sebastian Dan, one of our PhD-students, is one of the ten finalists of the FameLab Romania is a competition. The aim of FameLab is to encourage young scientists (18 to 35 years old) to inspire and excite public imagination with a vision of science in the 21st century.

Damage by Muskrats at Kockengen . Our colleague ir. Henk-Jan Verhagen was a guest in "UTRECHT NU" a program on television  from RTV Utrecht. Click the link to see the broadcasting.

Safety of the Netherlands  (article in Dutch, Technisch Weekblad 27 January 2007). Reflection of the current safety of the levees and dunes. Prof. Huib de Vriend mentions that wave loads seem to be stronger than assumed. Another point of concern is the discussion about emergency flood retention basins that got stuck.

Trenches in levees (article in Dutch, Delta 03 January 2007). Besides raising levees, digging a trench in the levee can also prevent a levee breach. Msc. student Paul van Steeg, supervised by Henk Jan Verhagen,  is doing research about this topic, which is part of the European Comcoast project.  

The incomprehensible fear for geotubes (article in Dutch, Cobouw, 19 december 2006). There should be a large scale test with geocontainers and geotubes in a water defense structure. They're cheap, environmentally friendly and recently two CUR publications appeared about these elements. ir. Jarit de Gijt was one of the engineers being intensely involved  with this publication.

Government should invest more seriously in flood defense (article in Dutch, Contact magazine voor civiele techniek en geowetenschappen december 2006). Interview with Prof. Han Vrijling, the budget to maintain the flood defense systems is to low. 

Payment of dikes  (article in Dutch, NRC Handelsblad, 16 December 2006). The State of the Netherlands should decide to leave the payment of dikes to the water boards. These boards should levy more taxes. This is what prof. Han Vrijling and prof. Marcel Stive (a.o.) advised.

Evacuation not very effective in case of flooding  (article in Dutch, December 2006). A possible flooding of the southern part of the Randstad in the Netherlands will result in several thousands of casualties. An evacuation of the area will not do much good. Our PhD-researcher Bas Jonkman worked on an advanced model to simulate the consequences of an evacuation. National press published articles on this topic, see for instance: De Volkskrant, Elsevier, De Telegraafand NRC Handelsblad.

Rocking on invisible waves (article in Dutch). Waves with a length of several kilometers plague sea ports all over the world. This causes severe problems for moored ships. Wim van der Molen studied this phenomenon and wrote a doctoral dissertation "Behaviour of moored ships in harbours'.

The Netherlands submerge (article in Dutch). The Netherlands are not safe for floodings. The Dutch Society of Engineers wrote a letter to the ministery of transport and communications. Prof. Vijling, prof. Stive and prof. De Vriend (a.o.) signed this letter to express their concern. (11 October 2006). Algemeen Dagblad of 18 October published an article "Many dikes in bad condition" on this same letter (in Dutch).

Still hungry for sand   (article in Dutch). Sand from the Dutch coasts of North Holland and the island of Texel still moves into the Wadden Sea. Edwin Elias found out that this sea did not decrease its eagerness for sand from its surroundings, as was assumed until now. (28 September 2008)

Growing breaches (article in Dutch). As long as dikes exist, breaches will occur. However, knowledge about breach growth only recently increased thanks to the research of Yonghui Zhu. (21 September 2006)

Students from Delft University design surf walhalla   (article in Dutch). Two of our Hydraulic Engineering students, Matthieu de Schipper and Sierd de Vries study the design of a swimming pool with a wave machine for the benefit of surfers. Delta, the Delft University weekly magazine, published an article about their work. (21 September 2006)

It's cheaper to go Dutch (article in English). "The Netherlands is expert at keeping itself dry. So why aren't U.S. bureaucrats seeking more of its help rebuilding the levees?" Read the answer in the Newsweek article, for which prof. Han Vrijling, head of our department was interviewed.

Insurance against floods  (audio stream in Dutch). On Monday 15 august 2006, prof. Han Vrijling commented on plans of Dutch minister De Vries to make it possible for citizens and companies to take insurance policies against floodings. On the Dutch public radio station Radio 1, mr. Vrijling discussed the possibility that in this way the authorities could escape feeling responsible for the consequences of overdue maintenance.

The wave juicer  (article in Dutch). On Sunday 6 August 2006 students and members of Delft University squeezed oranges on the beach of Scheveningen. A juicer was connected to a device that generated electricity out of waves. This event was organised to demonstrate the diversity of technology fields that are engaged with sustainable energy and to bring civil engineering under attention of the Dutch people.

Als de dijken bezwijken  (pdf file). "Tien jaar na de overbodige evacuatie van 240 000 personen in Gelderland berekent de computer wanneer het tijd wordt een gebied te ontruimen. De simulaties laten ook zien dat een overstroming in het laag gelegen en volgebouwde Zuid-Holland rampzalige gevolgen heeft. Een onverwachte dijkdoorbraak bij Capelle aan de IJssel kost 71 800 mensen het leven. Dijken verhogen is nog steeds de beste oplossing." ir. Bas Jonkman, promovendus bij onze sectie Waterbouwkunde en dr. Nathalie Asselman van WL Delft vertellen over hun onderzoek, in "De Ingenieur" van 4 maart 2005.

Mangrove beschermt niet tegen tsunami  (pfd file). "Mangrovebossen komen eigenlijk niet in aanmerking om de gevolgen van een tsunami te verkleinen. Construeren om een dergelijke golf tegen te houden is onbegonnen werk..." Henk Jan Verhagen in Cobouw, 18 januari 2005.

Hoogte boezemkader kan vaak stuk lager  (pdf file). Uit onderzoek van Henk Jan Verhagen is gebleken dat de Friese boezemkaden vaak een stuk lager kunnen worden aangelegd, zonder dat de veiligheid vermindert. Artikel uit Leeuwarder Courant, 18 januari 2005.

Tsunami in Nederland minder waarschijnlijk  (pdf file). "Het is zeer onwaarschijnlijk dat we ooit in Nederland te maken krijgen met een tsunami die recentelijk de vloedgolvenromp in Zuid-Azië heeft veroorzaakt. De vrees hiervoor is volgens Han Vrijling dan ook ongegrond..." Artikel uit Cobouw van 11 januari 2005.

Sumatra-aardbeving en resulterende tsunami . Op 26 december vond voor de kust van Sumatra een aardbeving met een kracht van 8.9 op de schaal van Richter plaats. De beving heeft geleid tot de generatie van een tsunami in de Indische Oceaan en met name de Bengaalse Golf. In dit artikel meer informatie over deze ramp.

Award for Ruben Jongejan . De Nederlandse Vereniging voor Risico-analyse & Bedrijfszekerheid heeft besloten de studie award 2004 toe te kennen aan Ruben Jongejan, thans medewerker bij onze sectie. De prijs is uitgereikt voor zijn werk over de observatiemethode in probabilistic engineering. Ter gelegenheid hiervan is hem een oorkonde overhandigd.

Kolkende stromen . Een Delfts rekenmodel beschrijft het ontstaan van krachtige muistromen. Een artikel uit de volkskrant.

Waarom rollen golven het strand op? . In dit artikel uit De telegraaf geeft prof. Marcel Stive uitleg over breknde golven aan de kust.

Vietnam wil zout water weren  (pdf file). Boeren in de provincie Ben Tre (Vietnam) hebben te lijden van zoutindringing uit zee via de Mekong-delta. Vijf Delftse studenten onder begeleiding van Ir. H.J. Verhagen deden stageonderzoek aldaar en maakten een ontwerp dat het waterbeheer verbetert.

Gasboren of niet, het Wad verdwijnt . "Gasboringen of niet, de Waddenzee is over honderd tot tweehonderd jaar toch weg als gevolg van de stijging van de zeespiegel", aldus de Delftse hoogleraar Marcel Stive in een gesprek met NRC Handelsblad. Het eerste deel van dit interview staat in Land+Water. Lees het hele NRC artikel (‘Verdronken Wadden’) hier.

Niet tegen, maar met water . Artikel in 'ConTACT magazine voor civiele techniek en geowetenschappen' van mei 2004. Onlangs vond de kick-off van het Water Research Center plaats. Marcel Stive, leider van dit Research Center geeft een toelichting.

Het is tijd voor een Waddenacademie . Artikel in het NRC Handelsblad van 1 april 2004 door een aantal wetenschappers, waaronder prof. Marcel Stive, over het onlangs gepubliceerde rapport van de Adviesgroep Waddenzeebeleid.

Pacificeer het Waddendebat . Artikel in het NRC Handelsblad van 3 januari door twee CDA Statenleden van de Provincie Fryslân.

Verdronken Wadden . "Gasboringen of niet, de Waddenzee is over honderd tot tweehonderd jaar toch weg. Door de zeespiegelstijging gaat het kopje onder in de golven."
In dit artikel in het NRC handelsblad van zaterdag 20 maart 2004 voorspelt prof.dr.ir. Marcel Stive het verdwijnen van de Waddenzee.

Watersnood . Nederland heeft niks geleerd van de watersnoodramp in 1953, zo blijkt uit de weekendkranten en het Radio 1-journaal. Onze kustverdediging, zo blijkt, wordt nog steeds verwaarloosd. Of wil een aantal civiel-techneuten veiligheid gebruiken om Nederland op de schop te kunnen nemen? Artikel in universiteitsblad Delta van november 2003.

Video legt zeebodem en kustlijn vast . In Cobouw van 4/12/2003 legt Stefan Aarninkhof uit hoe met videobeelden met behulp van remote-sensingtechnieken informatie over bodemligging kan woren verkregen.

Surfersparadijs in de Noordzee . Nederland is geen perfect surfland, daarvoor moet je naar Hawaï. Daar breken enorme oceaangolven op de riffen rond het eiland. Maar mogelijk krijgt Nederland binnenkort ook een rif, en wel bij de Tweede Maasvlakte. In dit artikel in de Telegraaf (van 28 februari 2004) worden de voordelen van een onderwaterdam, evenwijdig langs de kust, uitgelegd.

The peat just subsided . Prof.drs.ir. J.K. Vrijling comments on the peat dike failure in Wilnis. He assumes a horizontal slide as collapse mechanism.

Dike failure Wilnis August 2003 . Dr.ir. Stefan van Baars, researcher in our section, was quoted in several news media after the failure of a dike in Wilnis during the night following Monday August 25th, after an unprecedented period of drought.

"The coast and big rivers" (Cement, June, 2003). Prof. Vrijling and prof. Stive give their views on two phenomena that will have a great inpact on the Netherlands: sea level rise and increasing river discharges.

"Hydraulic Research" (Cement, June, 2003) by Prof. Marcel Stive and Dr. Hessel Voortman.

In the article "Waterbouwkundig onderzoek" (hydraulic research), a short impression is given upon three topics that are studied within our Section of Hydraulic Research. The first part is about the ARGUS-video measurements of the Dutch coast, the second about the impact of greenhouse effect on the Wadden-sea in the North of the Netherlands. The third article describes the results of a doctoral study on risk analysis of water defence systems.

"Sandbars in Motion" by Marcel J.F. Stive and Ad J.H.M. Reniers (Science, April 2003).

Nearshore surf zones are turbulent places. Yet despite the apparently chaotic nature of the sea surface in these areas, sandbars often show complex patterns with an intricate structure. In their Perspective, Stive and Reniers discuss recent efforts to understand how these patterns form. They highlight the report by Hoefel and Elgar, who consider a new transport mechanism based on flow acceleration within the waves. This mechanism should help to improve the predictability of sandbar structures.

Baywatch guards sand bars (Volkskrant, March 2003). Coastal morphology will never be the same. Waves influence sand bars in a totally different way as was assumed until now. Suppletion of extra sand has to be done in a different way.

Strolling sand bars (NRC Handelsblad, March 2003). In heavy weather, a sand bar in the surf zone moves further in sea; in calm weather, it moves back. Thanks to cameras on beaches, this phenomenon is understood now.

Nobody to be blamed for disadvantages Deltaworks  (Cobouw, January 2003). The Deltaworks in the Netherlands were constructed to protect the inhabitants of Zeeland and Zuid-Holland sufficiently against the sea. There was accomplished a lot on the topic of hydraulic engineering. Unfortunately, the disadvantages with respect to the quality of water and environment become clear.

Storm surge 1953. Kees Bezuyen relates (Delta, January 2003). Kees Bezuyen, staff lecturer in our section, relates on his efforts at that time to protect the dikes against the devastating water.

Agema and Verruijt comment on the storm surge of 1953 (Delta, January 2003). Professor Agema and professor Verruijt comment on the storm surge and hydraulic engineering in subsequent years.

Risk analysis of water defence systems (Delta, January 2003). Background information on the risk analysis of large water defence systems is given by Hessel Voortman, former scientific researcher at Delft University.

Risicobeheersing - de checks tussen droom en daad - volgens prof.drs.ir. J.K. Vrijling (Werkwijs, September 2002). Prof. Vrijling, head of the Section of Hydraulic Engineering, proposes an enhanced role for contractors. An article was published in "Werkwijs" (magazine of the royal BAM NBM), September 2002. We placed the contents of this article on our website (in Dutch).

Pompen of verzuipen (door Kees d'Angremond). 'Een herbezinning op de positie van Nederland in relatie tot het water is heel opportuun. De discussie wordt vaak gevoerd op basis van een onvolledig inzicht in de historische en fysische achtergronden, wat de weg opent naar grote misverstanden en onverstandige beslissingen. ...'

Het water mag niet winnen (door Chris Sprangers in Intermediair 18, 2 mei 2002). ' "De zeespiegel stijgt de komende honderd jaar een halve meter"
"In de winter zal het vaker en harder regenen; de zomers worden droger"
In het Amstelpark in Amsterdam staat een paal, die vele meters omhoog steekt. Ruim vier meter boven het maaiveld staat een streep, met '1953': daar zou bij de watersnoodramp van 1953 het water hebben gestaan als het onbelemmerd vanuit Zeeland had kunnen doorstromen. Die paal had overal in het westen van het land kunnen staan. Maar alleen Amerikanen zijn onder de indruk van de boodschap ...'

De magneet als meerpaal (Delta, jaargang 34, nummer 22). 'Trossen los! Het is een uitroep die op het punt staat zeemansfolklore te worden. Dat denkt althans Erik Fiktorie, die deze maand afstudeerde op alternatieve afmeersystemen voor schepen. Nog even, en een kapitein die wil uitvaren roept: magneten uit! ...'

Volkskrant artikel Waddenzee (door Marieke Aarden). 'Als de zeespiegel blijft stijgen door het broeikaseffect, bestaan er over tweehonderd jaar geen wadden meer, zeggen Nederlandse onderzoekers. Het ecosysteem gaat onder en daar is maar weinig tegen te doen. ...'
De ondergang van de Waddenzee voorspeld door prof.dr.ir. Marcel Stive en ir. Michiel van Goor.

Volkskrant artikel (door Marieke Aarden). Interview over de toekomst van zandsuppleties met dr. Jan Mulder van het Rijksinstituut voor Kust en Zee (RIKZ).

Completion impossible task (Delta 13 March 1997, article in Dutch). The storm surge barrier in the New Waterway (near Rotterdam) is almost ready. Fortyfive years after the start of the construction of the Deltaworks, three professors of the Civil Engineering Faculty, profs. 'd Angremond, Vrijling and De Ridder, look back and forward to hydraulic engineering in the Netherlands.