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...

Climate Adaptive Delta Cities: A strategy for the transition towards climate adaptive redevelopment of post-industrial port sites in the Rhine-Meuse delta in the Netherlands - The case of De Staart in Dordrecht

The climate crisis will require far-stretching changes to our urban systems, also called a transition. However, the direction in which our society will transition is still deeply uncertain. To become less vulnerable, cities and urban areas need to increase their adaptive capacity, establishing an evolutionarily resilient region. Delta cities in...

The missing link in adaptive delta management: Insights on the potential of pumps in reducing flood risk under sea level rise and adaptive social learning to improve decision-making in the Rhine-Meuse estuary

Decision-makers in low-lying coastal zones are confronted with uncertain developments around flood risk.These drivers are surrounded by large uncertainties, which requires delta management to be adaptive. This research offers insights about adaptive delta management for the Rhine-Meuse estuary from three perspectives: a physical, a socio...

Case Study: Deltapump: On the civil design and cost estimate of a high-capacity enclosed-screw pumping station concept and its application to protect the Rhine-Meuse delta from flooding before the year 2100

According to the European Environment Agency (2016, pp. 137–140) annual mean river flow and the frequency of fluvial floods will have increased by 20% before the year 2100, in North-western Europe. It had been postulated in media in reports (De Ingenieur, 2014; „MIRT-verkenning Grevelingen”, 2012; Slootjes et al., 2010; Slootjes, 2013; Lammers,...

Scour holes: A data-driven risk-based analysis for scour holes in the Rhine-Meuse Delta

In the Rhine-Meuse Delta over 100 scour holes are located. Many of these scour holes have dynamic behaviour and are growing in size and depth. A scour hole can lead to an increased probability of flooding. One of the potential hazards of the presence of scour holes is the occurrence of flow slides on the foreshore next to scour holes. Depending...

Scour holes in tidal rivers with heterogeneous subsoil under anthropogenic influence

Over one hundred scour holes are located in the Rhine-Meuse delta. These scour holes have relatively large depths and steep slopes and could pose a risk to the stability of river banks and hydraulic structures, especially since some scour holes are still growing. Scour holes develop at locations where either the hydrodynamics or the erodibility...

Influence of a storm surge barrier’s operation on the flood frequency in the Rhine Delta area

The Rhine River Delta is crucial to the Dutch economy. The Maeslant barrier was built in 1997 to protect the Rhine estuary, with the city and port of Rotterdam, from storm surges. This research takes a simple approach to quantify the influence of the Maeslant storm surge barrier on design water levels behind the barrier. The dikes in the area...

Automatic detection of buried channel deposits using high resolution laser altimetry data (FLI-MAP)

The formation of the current Rhine-Meuse delta has mainly taken place during the Holocene (the last 12,000 years). This period is characterised by avulsions that lead to sudden shifts in the location of river channels. The channel deposits left behind by abandoned rivers are often distinct sandy layers in the shallow sub-surface, called buried...