Mitigating the effect of drought on groundwater levels in the east of The Netherlands: The link between interventions in the Rhine river branches and a closure of the Rijnmond

Due to climate change, a new water management policy is considered in the Netherlands. The shift towards greater extremes in both wet periods and dry periods requires a more dynamic policy. It is investigated what effect the placement of a permanent water barrier in the Rijnmond has on the water levels in the Rhine branches, and if this can be...

Determining drought-induced subsidence in urban areas: An in-practice analysis of drought impacts on subsidence in two Dutch soft-soil cities

Drought and subsidence are two out of several water-related urban climate adaptation challenges many cities in the Netherlands currently face. Drought is expected to increase in frequency and extent due to climate change. Therefore, drought is likely to further pressurize (subsiding) urban areas in the coming decades. Although the impact of...

Manyame Catchment: A Risk Assessment

This study investigates the many dynamics of the Manyame Catchment and comes up with recommendations on how to adapt or become more resilient to the risks at hand. The bad politics and forthcoming economic situation of Zimbabwe has led to instability and dramatic inflation over the last decade. This has resulted in a terrible investment climate,...

Assessment of the effect of groundwater flow on the performance of Borehole Thermal Energy Storage systems

In a Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) system, heat is extracted from or injected to the subsurface, taking advantage of the relatively constant temperatures of the underground. Both thermal conduction and advection can influence the performance of BTES systems, but thermal advection is often neglected in the design process. However, in...

Global assessment of the potential effect of large sand replenishment on fresh groundwater resources

Sand replenishments, or nourishments, have been the prevalent strategy of the Netherlands for coastal protection since 1990. In consideration of the expected sea level rise and potential increases of storm surges as a result of climate change, an innovative pilot project known as the ‘Sand Engine’ has been implemented. In contrast with...

Biological As oxidation during start-up of rapid sand filters

Determination of optimal separation well distance for single borehole ATES systems, in the Netherlands, implementing an an axi-symmetric numerical model

Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) is a growing technology in the Netherlands. There are two kinds of ATES configurations the doublet and the single borehole ATES (SB-ATES) layout. The limited subsurface space in combination with the lower construction cost and the lower performance of the SB-ATES lead to the need to optimize their design....

An upscaling method for top-systems with layered heterogeneity and vertical anisotropy

The subsurface in the Western part of the Netherlands is generally characterized as a regional aquifer, in which most of the lateral groundwater flow takes place, covered by a semi-permeable layer. The semi-permeable layer is often split into a phreatic layer on top of an aquitard (which has an even lower permeability). The phreatic layer and...

Subsurface Freshwater Storage & Recovery In Artificial Islands: Case Study of Pluit City Land Reclamation Jakarta, Indonesia

This research seeks to discover the possibilities of Artificial Storage and Recovery (ASR) in an artificial urban island in Jakarta, to increase water security and provide a sustainable water supply.

Groundwater modelling of the khettara area of Fezna-Jorf-Hannabou, Morocco

This master thesis comprehends a study on khettaras, historical subsurface drainage tunnels, in East Morocco. A numerical groundwater model was set up to simulate these systems and to get a better understanding of their behaviour. Subsequently, the model was used to simulate the effect of several scenarios: increased use of pumped wells in the...

Modelling ungauged lowland basins: Does complementary groundwater data add value to topography driven conceptual modelling?

A common practice for hydrologists to determine the performance of a hydrological model and its parameter values, is by calibrating the model parameters on observed discharge data, but this data is not always available. For this reason, other data should be used as complementary data in order to reduce the uncertainty of outflow and processes in...

Drainage Tubes versus Sediment

The study starts with possible working mechanisms of the tubes within the complex beach system. In addition, huge amounts of data are collected which tells us more about the sedimentology of the beach and soil structure. This data is used later on to study influenced beach processes and morphological change. For this study both the beach near...

Observing the hydrology of China from space - detection of anthropogenic changes in hydrology using spaceborne measurements

In this study we focus on the use of remotely sensed data, mainly data from the GRACE mission, for the detection of hydrological changes in China. More specifically, the Hai - Huai - Huang basins and the impoundment of the Three Gorges reservoir are studied. Due to noise and the required filtering of the monthly GRACE gravity field solutions...

Geologic origin of arsenic groundwater contamination in Maner block, Bihar, India

Arsenic contamination of the groundwater and as a consequence, of the drinking water, has developed to a major problem for many regions globally during the last decades (Chile, China, United States, Argentina, and Mexico). The issue of Arsenic contamination has already been studied extensively in West Bengal, India and Bangladesh, which are some...

Iron removal at groundwater pumping station Harderbroek

Iron is the primary source for discolouration problems in the drinking water distribution system. The removal of iron from groundwater is a common treatment step in the production of drinking water. Even when clear water meets the drinking water standards, the water quality in the distribution system can deteriorate due to settling of iron ...