Towards Water Availability Predictions with Earth-Observed Open Data in Man-Made Reservoirs Worldwide

Small to medium-sized man-made freshwater reservoir are a reliable source for drinking water supply, hydropower generation and irrigation purposes worldwide. However, water volumes in these reservoirs can be significantly affected by prolonged droughts, resulting in severe impacts on society (Kozacek, 2014; Mahr, 2018). To mitigate the impact of...

Applicability of a conceptual tool in quantifying the effectiveness of Nature-Based Solutions in tropical urban flood mitigation: A case study in Paramaribo, Suriname

This thesis aims to assess the applicability of the CRCTool for evaluating the effectiveness of NBS for mitigating tropical urban floods in the city center of Paramaribo. Assumptions related to urban flood mitigation were tested, a sensitivity analysis for the most sensitive parameters was performed, and the hydrological behaviour of groundwater...

Assessing the impact of climate change on streamflow in catchments across the United States, using an easily reproducible modeling approach

In this thesis, an easily reproducible modeling approach was developed for assessing the climate change impact on streamflow. This approach was tested by using it to assess the impact of climate change on streamflow in 5 different contrasting catchments across the United States. Many studies show that climate change is expected to influence...

A surrogate model approach to study the effect of rainfall through cracks on the macro-stability of canal dikes

Under the current climate change projections, droughts and extreme rainfall events are becoming more common and intense. During sustained droughts, soil cracks can develop in the topsoil of a dike. These soil cracks can enhance the infiltration and drainage of the dike, affecting the dike stability. This study’s main objective is to better...

Bias Correction of Climate Simulations to assess Climate Change Impacts on Low Flows in the Rhine River

Regional climate model (RCMs) simulations are used in hydrological (climate-change) impact assessment studies. However, RCMs exhibit noticeable deviation from observation, and can show large variation in ensemble projections (biases). The objective of this study is twofold, first to assess the robustness of two high-skill bias-correction methods...

Climate-analogy mapping as a tool to develop a temporally-adaptive hydrological model of the Meuse basin for more reliable predictions under change

The future hydrological response of a river system is often predicted using hydrological models that are calibrated on past observations. By using static model parameters it is assumed that hydrological systems do not change in time. For long-term predictions, this is in clear contrast with the notion that vegetation actively adapts its root...

Performance of nonlinear time series models to simulate synthetic groundwater table time series from an unsaturated zone model

Transfer function noise (TFN) modelling is a form of time series analysis which regularly uses the recharge as a stress to explain the groundwater table fluctuations. Often the recharge flux is estimated as a linear combination of the precipitation and the (potential) evaporation. However, this is a simplification of the actual hydrological...

Applying deep learning vs machine learning models to reproduce dry spells at point scale from satellite information in a data-scarce region: the case of northern Ghana

Large parts of the world rely on rainfed agriculture for their food security. In Africa, 90% of the agricultural yields rely only on precipitation for irrigation purposes and approximately 80% of the population’s livelihood is highly dependent on its food production. Parts of Ghana are prone to droughts and flood events due to increasing...

Determining the effects of a hydropower dam and climate change on salt intrusion in the Gambia estuary up to 2100

Due to climate change, temperatures are rising worldwide resulting in sea level rise, higher evaporation and possible changes in precipitation patterns. These effects of climate change influence salt intrusion, particularly by affecting the freshwater supply. In The Gambia also a planned hydropower dam and possibly future irrigation development...

Hind-casting Ungauged Reservoir Dynamics: A case study of the Kaluyo Basin in Bolivia

The construction of drinking-water reservoirs in previously free-flowing river basins introduces challenges in operational water management, especially in data scarce environments. Often resulting in effectively un- gauged basins. In order to be able to estimate the expected increase in water supply, the hydrology of the ungauged sub-basins must...

Assessment of flood early warning and response in an urbanized catchment: A case study of the Tub Ma basin in Thailand

Rapid urbanization has altered the natural hydrological cycle of the Tub Ma catchment, inducing major floods after heavy rainfall events. For that reason, structural mitigation measures were built, including floodwalls along the channel and a pumping station at the outlet. However, no operational rules were available for operating the river...

Robustness assessment of leak detection and localization in water distribution networks under stochastic water demand

Globally, water demand is rising and resources are diminishing. In the context of climate change and a growing world population, a further increase in water scarcity seems inevitable. Aiming towards a sustainable future, water should be used as efficiently as possible by minimizing water losses, which can be higher than 50% in some drinking...

Descriptor variables of the root zone storage capacity in Canada

The root zone storage capacity is a critical determinant in hydrology, playing a major role in the partitioning of precipitation into evaporation and runoff. Besides, it is an important parameter in climatological and hydrological models. Understanding of the root zone storage capacity and its major determining processes is therefore fundamental...

Assessing the forecast skill of agricultural drought forecast from satellite-derived products in the Lower Shire River Basin

In 2008 the Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) started with Forecast-based Financing pilots to improve existing Early-Warning Early Action systems. Forecast-based financing is a new methodology to prepare, deliver and respond in a more effective and efficient manner, based on hazard forecasts. Actions are triggered when a forecast exceeds a danger...

An analysis of hydrological and geotechnical parameters of rotational landslides in pegmatite lithology in North Western Rwanda

Worldwide landslides cause a great amount of damage, as is also the case in Rwanda. Here more and more slopes fail as anthropogenic activities such as building, farming, or deforestation, are moved to marginal lands such as hillslopes. To investigate the hydrological response of typical hillslopes in North Western Rwanda five landslides are...