Impact of Ice Sheet-Climate Interactions on Greenland Ice Sheet Mass Balance: Insights from Coupled CESM2-CISM2 Simulations

The Greenland Ice Sheet (GrIS), which stores freshwater equal to more than seven meters of potential sea level rise, strongly interacts with the global, Arctic and North Atlantic climate. In a warming climate, the GrIS has been losing mass and is projected to lose mass at an increasing rate. The interactions between the GrIS and the climate have...

Sea-level rise induced change in exposure of low-lying coastal land: implications for coastal conservation strategies

Coastal erosion and flooding are projected to increase during the 21^st century due to sea-level rise (SLR). To prevent adverse impacts of unmanaged coastal development, national organizations can apply a land protection policy, which consists of acquiring coastal land to avoid further development. Yet, these reserved areas remain...

Modelling the combined impact of sea level rise, land subsidence, and tropical cyclones in compound flooding of coastal cities

Low-lying coastal areas are threatened worldwide by compound flooding effects, including sea-level rise (SLR), frequent tropical cyclones (TCs), and accelerated land subsidence (LS). Compound flooding results in a negative effect, creating challenges for decision-making and coastal management for sustainable urban development. To comprehend...

A design of the Delta21 sea defence using the adaptive pathway approach

Besides global warming, climate change is expected to result in (among others) an increased number of extreme precipitation events and a rising sea level. In the future, this can be the cause for an increased number of high river discharge events in combination with high water levels on the North Sea, which goes hand in hand with an increased...

How Do Bifurcations in Engineered Rivers Respond to Sea level Rise?

River bifurcations divide the water and sediment over two downstream branches or bifurcates. As the changing climate adjusts the boundary conditions (i.e., base level, hydrograph, and sediment flux) for bifurcations, it will affect their flow and sediment partitioning over the bifurcates. Our objective is to provide insight into the response of...

Evolution of the Greenland Ice Sheet under a Moderate Warming Scenario

The Greenland ice sheet (GrIS) is an important component of the climate system and is a key contributor to future sea level rise, as it is storing frozen water that would raise sea levels by 7.4 m should it all melt (Bamber et al., 2018). Of particular concern is the amount of global warming we are facing now and in the future, as it is becoming...

River Bed Response to Sea Level Rise

Climate change is causing the global sea level to rise. Research and discussion of the effects of sea level rise are often focused along coastlines. However, the effects of higher water level and changing morphodynamics can reach far inland via rivers. This study uses a one-dimensional numerical model to analyze bed level response to sea level...

Flexibility for intergenerational justice in climate resilience decision-making: an application on sea-level rise in the Netherlands

To adapt to a changing climate, decision-makers design, evaluate, and implement measures that have an implication of justice on citizens in the present and well into the future. Decision-makers are often required to make decisions without certainty of the consequences and understanding their effects on intergenerational justice. Thus, managing...

An integrated framework of coastal flood modelling under the failures of sea dikes: a case study in Shanghai

Climate change leads to sea level rise worldwide, as well as increases in the intensity and frequency of tropical cyclones (TCs). Storm surge induced by TC’s, together with spring tides, threatens to cause failure of flood defenses, resulting in massive flooding in low-lying coastal areas. However, limited research has been done on the...

Morphological Response of the Dutch Sandy Coast to Accelerated Sea Level Rise: A process-based modelling approach using Delft3D, applied to the Delfland coast

Accelerated sea level rise (SLR) is predicted to have multiple adverse impacts on the coastal zone, aggravating phenomena such as coastal erosion on sandy coasts. For climate change adaptation planning and informing policy, morphodynamic changes occurring at coastlines are becoming increasingly important. In this study, a calibrated Delft3D...

Optimization of flood safety levels: Case study for unembanked areas in the Port of Rotterdam

Additional master thesis

Landscapes of Resistance: documenting the frontline of Climate Change in Louisiana

Louisiana, USA, operates as an oilscape, sacrificing its landscape in pursuit of economic prosperity through the oil and gas industry. Combined with sea level rise, this has resulted in continuous land loss since the fifties, making the Louisiana coast one of the fastest declining in the world. As a consequence, many communities are living on...

Predicting the impact of sea-level rise in Baie Orientale and Baie de L'Embouchure, Saint Martin: Application of a hydrodynamic model including seagrass and coral reefs

Shallow bays in the Caribbean, like Baie Orientale and Baie de L'Embouchure in Saint Martin, are often sheltered by coral reefs and covered by seagrass meadows. They provide valuable services as tourism and coastal protection. The ecosystems are linked through biological, chemical and physical processes. But they are under pressure due to sea...

Impact of high-end sea level rise scenarios on storm surge barriers in the Netherlands: Risk analysis of the Maeslant Barrier and the Eastern Scheldt Barrier while incorporating climate change and accelerated sea level rise.

The Netherlands is a low-lying delta and therefore prone to flooding. After the flood in 1953, the Delta Committee was established which commenced the Delta Works to enhance water safety for the society and economy. The Maeslant Barrier and Eastern Scheldt Barrier are the largest and most technologically advanced flood defences which are part of...

Observations and analytical modeling of freshwater and rainwater lenses in coastal dune systems

Observations are reported on (i) groundwater recharge rates under various types of vegetation as measured with megalysimeters in the dunes, (ii) freshwater lenses along the Dutch North Sea coast in the early 1900s, and (iii) rainwater lenses that develop on top of laterally migrating, artificially recharged riverwater. Subsequently analytical...