Application of the IUCN Global Standard for Nature-based Solutions to river restoration projects

Implemented in river landscapes, Nature-based Solutions (NbS) have the potential to reduce flood risk, while also playing an important role in restoring many of the ecosystem services that are lost as result of human interventions and global warming. A barrier to succesfull implementation of NbS is the lack of a global and common framework with...

The effect of vessels on the flow pattern inside a groyne field: What is the influence of vessels on the flow properties inside a groyne field and in what way do the characteristics of the vessels influence this?

Due to river training in the past centuries, the bed level of the Waal started and is still decreasing by several centimetres a year. Erosion of the riverbed causes problems for objects underneath the riverbed like cables, pipelines and foundations of structures. Furthermore, some parts of the river are eroding at a higher velocity compared to...

Channel Network Morphodynamics in the Lower Paraná Delta: Modelling the Influence of Natural Processes and Anthropogenic Activities on Morphological Changes in the Lower Paraná Delta Channel Network

The La Plata Basin is the second largest drainage basin in South America. The Paraná River, the basin’s main river, discharges into the Río de la Plata estuary in Argentina. In the Lower Paraná Delta, near the deltaic front, a complex system of mostly natural and some man-made channels redistribute a part of the river flow. Like the river and...

Operational rules for sustainable sediment management of dam cascades: Application to Mekong hydropower dams in Lao PDR

Hydropower plants have proven to generate electricity reliably and predictably, store water to meet water demands during dry periods, improve navigability and reduce flood risk. The reservoirs of these hydropower plants face ongoing sedimentation, negatively effecting the electricity generation, water storage volume, navigability and flood risk....

Flow processes forcing the development of the scour hole Beerenplaat in the Rhine-Meuse delta

The Rhine-Meuse delta is characterized by the presence of many scour holes. Koopmans (2017) showed that these scour holes have very different growth rates, even if they are located within the same river branch. Most likely this is caused by either the heterogeneous subsoil, the presence of hydraulic structures, the geometry of the river or...

Establishing the required lock capacity and configuration in case of canalisation of the river Waal: An exploratory study

The river Waal is part of an economic important transport-corridor that connects the ports of Antwerp, Rotterdam and Amsterdam to Germany. Ongoing processes such as (1) climate change, (2) large scale river bed erosion and (3) up-scaling of vessels threaten the future navigability of the river. This will lead to massive economic damages as taken...

Modelling open channel flow for the features of a flexible groyne: Effects of permeability and head steepness of groynes on local flow characteristics

Large-scale measures within the river programmes such as Room for the River, Natura2000 and Water Framework Directive have increased the biodiversity in Dutch rivers and have achieved a more natural landscape. However, recent river programmes have shown conflicts between safety against flooding and riverine nature rehabilitation with maintaining...

River system behaviour along the river IJssel

This master thesis is about the positive effects of river system behaviour along the river IJssel. Due to failure of the flood defences along the IJssel, the protected areas will flood and water will flow out of the river. The discharge in the river will decrease and thus the water level at the downstream ends of the river will also decrease....

Groyne field nourishments: A research into the application of feeder nourishments to supply sediment to the main channel

In the Waal bed degradation occurs, which is mainly induced by a large number of river regulations measures done in the past. Rijkswaterstaat develops possible measures and new techniques to stop riverbed erosion and/or mitigate the negative effects. One of the possible new techniques to reduce riverbed erosion locally is groyne field...

2D Model Parameterization of Porcupine River Training Structures:  Hydrodynamic and Morphological Impact Assessment

Flexible river training structures such as tetrahedron frames (`porcupines') can be attractive for control of braided river channel networks in regions where permanent control structures (e.g. groynes or dams) are too expensive or potentially inefficient, such as systems with highly dynamic flow regimes and morphology. Porcupines provide...

Mixed Sediment Dynamics at a Tide-Dominated Confluence: A case study on the Yangon Estuary, Myanmar

This thesis research has been conducted to analyse the sediment dynamics in the Yangon Estuary, in order to define the cause for the sedimentation in Monkey Point Channel. For years, Yangon Port has been suffering from limited accessibility due to the sedimentation in the channel and currently daily dredging is required in order to let ships...

Long-term morphologic development and the effect on hydraulic load: Scenarios for long-term riverbed development in the main channel of the Dutch Rhine system and their impact on hydraulic load