GEOWAT: A Global Assessment of the Limits of Groundwater Use

• prof. dr. ir. Marc Bierkens
• dr. ir. Gualbert Oude Essink

Rapid coastal groundwater modelling and scenarios for strategic policy development

The main goal of the Water Nexus programme is to create saline water alternatives for freshwater use in agriculture and industry. This specific PhD research -as part of the whole programme- is focused on developing tools for quick construction of fresh-salt groundwater flow and coupled salt transport models and scenario development of climate and anthropogenic changes (sea-level rise, increased water demand etc.) and their impact on coastal fresh groundwater reserves, both in terms of quantity and quality. Development of these tools will provide a firm ground in identifying vulnerabilities and opportunities for water distribution control, management decisions and future policy planning. Furthermore, it will give an opportunity for stakeholders, e.g. from within WN, to use the tools for fresh-salt groundwater model development in new areas around the world.

• dr. ir. Gualbert Oude Essink