Projects Understanding Drivers

  • Sinking populated areas built on peat soils in deltas

    In this research, geographers and biologists work together to investigate the present status and future potential for peat compaction and oxidation, in the organic-clastic subsurface of built-up areas.

  • Governing land subsidence in Indonesia

    This project explores the gaps amongst actual government’s policies and suggests that there is a need to involve multi stakeholders – local governments, communities, civil society organizations, academics, and private sectors – on dealing with land subsidence problems to achieve effective governance.

  • Drowning or Emerging

    To investigate how delta drowning can be prevented we investigate water flow and sediment processes and establish scenarios of for future delta development an ideal trial area: the Biesbosch (NL), an inland tidal delta (90 km2) of the rivers Rhine and Meuse, under influence of engineering works in the past, of recent and upcoming de-poldering, and future increases of tidal amplitude, sea level, and river peak discharges due to climate change.

  • Monitoring floodplain ecosystems

    The project aims to determine a system of multiscale ecotope classes that can be linked to ecosystem services of river floodplains, and can be monitored using remote sensing data.

  • Mega-nourishments on Wadden Sea ebb-deltas

     In this project we study why the ebb-tidal deltas of the Dutch Wadden Sea are shrinking, where the sediment is going to and how the delta will respond to a large-scale sand nourishment.   

  • From river basin to barrier reef

    This project focused on understanding and predicting the distribution of freshwater and suspended sediment over the Berau river and the estuarine channel network. 

  • Rise and Fall

    This research programme aims to enhance the capabilities of individuals and organisations to develop sustainable strategies for dealing with groundwater extraction, land subsidence and salt water intrusion in the increasingly urbanising Mekong Delta (Vietnam).

  • Delta Evolution

    The Delta Evolution research programme focuses on the evolution of river systems and deltaic areas, including the near-coastal zones, over timescales ranging from 102 to 106 years.

  • Adaptive delta management in Bangladesh and Indonesia

    This research focuses on the urgent problem of long-term planning in highly dynamic deltas under deep uncertainty.

  • Five millennia of sea-level, palaeostorm, and Maya land use

    As in other modern deltas, the rich natural resources of the Usumacinta-Grijalva delta, Mexico have significantly contributed to the rapid advent of human civilisations, particularly of Olmec and Maya cultures.

  • Peat properties

    In this project, we develop a generic method to characterise, map in space and time, and digitally share the physical properties of Holocene (compacted) peaty deposits present in the Rhine-Meuse delta in the Netherlands.

  • Why is New Orleans sinking?

    This project quantifies the amount of subsidence as a result of soil oxidation, which is a main contributor to total subsidence. Such information supports developing management strategies to slow down subsidence for a safer future city.

  • Carbon sequestration in mangroves

    We aim to unravel the direct and indirect effects of nutrient loading on heterotrophic microbial activity in mangrove soils and the resulting changes on decomposition rates and soil carbon sequestration.

  • Oxidation of Dutch peat soils

    This research quantified the effects of climate change on peat oxidation rates in peat soils in The Netherlands. Decomposition rates of different peat types, peat origin (fen or bog) and land use (agriculture or nature reserve) were measured under controlled conditions. 

  • Biodiversity and functioning of riparian wetlands

    In this collaborative project we unravelled the main short-term effects of changes in temperature and precipitation on riparian wetland diversity and functioning.

  • Effects of hydrology on vegetation development along restored lowland streams

     In this project vegetation development is studied over the colonization process from seed deposition, germination, seedling survival and establishment.

  • Tides in the Rhine-Meuse delta

    In 1970 the Haringvliet was closed off and tides no longer enter the Rhine-Meuse delta from this side. We study how tides and river flow respond to the changes in channel geometry. 

  • Nutrient management and legislation in deltas

    The aim is to test the potential of paleoenvironmental records to help setting targets for water quality standards and nutrient management in delta-dominated coastal areas under extensive anthropogenic pressure.

  • Dynamics of the Suriname Deltaic Coast

    The objectives of this pilot project is to build a database of earth observation images available (satellite imagery/aerial photos), to co-register the imagery and to quantitatively map the coastal dynamics and Mangrove forest dynamics of the Suriname coast since ~1947,

  • Ecosystem services in deltas under pressure

    We will produce a position paper that combines knowledge and experience across a range of different disciplines to analyze the impacts of global change and opportunities for the future for ecosystem services in deltas.

  • Land subsidence in the Yangtze delta

    This research project aims to analyze and assess the land and groundwater governance arrangements related to land subsidence in the Yangtze Delta in general and Shanghai in specific.

  • Research agenda for the Delta-Ostrich

    Our overall objective is to establish a science-based fundamental research agenda for long-term, sustainable management of the Rhine-Meuse delta.