“During the last safety assessment of Rijkswaterstaat in 2006 the Afsluitdijk failed on the current safety standards regarding flood protection. A new design was needed which ensured continuous protection against flooding in the future. Large scale and small scale tests are performed to optimize the design. Clear differences in the average wave overtopping discharge are observed between large and small scale. The new design of the Afsluitdijk has a complex geometry and consists of new types of elements of which not much information about the roughness of these elements is available. Also, the combined effect of roughness elements and berm has not been fully investigated yet. This asks for a more accurate method to predict the average wave overtopping discharge for composite slope. Various adjustments to current theories are proposed for this type of structure. “

Terminos Lagoon is the biggest and ecologically most important fluvial-lagoon system of the southern Gulf of Mexico. Rivers, sea and meteorology all influence the lagoon, variable over the year, resulting in a complex situation. To protect this area, it is crucial to know how different hydrological processes, hydrodynamic processes and spatial characteristics influence each other in this context. Using a multidisciplinary approach, this research focused on the question: What is the influence of hydrological and hydrodynamic processes on spatial characteristics of Terminos Lagoon, now and in the future? The study has shown that evaporation has a larger part in the water balance during dry season, where during other seasons the water balance is similar to the annual mean. It is found that the western part of Terminos Lagoon shows different characteristics
than the eastern part, as river discharge plays a larger role in the western part of the lagoon. Secchi depth, temperature, dissolved oxygen, sediments and salinity are all different here compared to the eastern part of the lagoon. Salinity and river discharge, as well as air and water temperatures, show to be highly correlated. A tidal watershed divides the lagoon in two approximately equal areas, following the mentioned separation of east and west. Residual currents flow along the boundaries of the lagoon from east to west. A circular
residual current in the lagoon is observed near the Puerto Real inlet in created temperature and Secchi depth maps. Nortes season shows highest salinity and lowest Secchi depths, where dry season shows lowest salinity. Both inlets are expected to sedimentate and sediments outside the lagoon move westward. Climatological influences are uncertain, though likely effects are increased water temperature, salinity, flushing time and a decrease in residual current. Mentioned effects are likely most noticeable in the eastern part of the lagoon.
Further research is necessary to achieve ecological goals in the region.