Hessel Winsemius

Senior researcher/advisor hydrology and member of Young Scientific Council
+31(0)88335 8465
Hessel.Winsemius@deltares.nl LinkedIn profileDr. Hessel Winsemius is an expert in the field of hydrology, with particular applications in global and regional flood risk modelling and analysis. He frequently publishes about these subjects in international peer reviewed journals. He is a member of the Young Scientific Council of Deltares.
Working experience
2009-present | Deltares | senior hydrologist |
2009-present | Delft University of Technology | Guest lecturer |
2004-2009 | Delft University of Technology | PhD researcher |
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Aqueduct Flood Risk Analyzer
World Resources Institute, USA, 2014
Project leader, flood risk expert. Global flood risk projections are converted in an easy-to-use web tool that allows end users to assess current and future river flood risk at different administrative units (state, country, river basin)
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Hazard modeling and mapping in Curaçao
DMC Curaçao, 2014
Flood modeller, Hydrologist. Flash flood hazard maps for the whole of Curaçao are established using state-of-the-art hydrological modelling in WFLOW and hydraulic modelling in the new Delft3D-FM modelling software, coupled in the forecasting framework Delft-FEWS. Recommendations on the potential of the models for flash flood forecasting and warning as well as recommendations on extension of this work to coastal flood risk and forecasting are made.
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River flood risk profiles for the Europe Central Asia region
World Bank, USA, 2014
Project leader, flood risk expert State-level flood risk estimates for several return periods were established using the GLOFRIS river flood risk model. Risk profiles were made for current as well as 3 future scenario conditions
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Improvement of hydrological forecast models for the Meuse River
The Netherlands, 2013
Project Leader. In this PhD project, new hydrological model techniques are taken from science and further developed to improve forecasts in the Meuse River for the operational forecasting system of the Dutch Rijkswaterstaat. This is done through a collaboration between Deltares, Rijkswaterstaat and Delft University of Technology
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Global Flood Archive
The Netherlands, 2013
Hydrologist, implementing a 10-year continuous archive of flood maps based on the EnviSAT ASAR satellite mission archive.
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Global Flood Risks with IMAGE Scenarios
GLOFRIS 2013, The Netherlands, 2013
Project leader, hydrologist, climate change expert: In this project, Global scale flood risk projections are made in changing climate and socio-economic conditions using the GLOFRIS model cascade, ISIMIP-CMIP5 climate projections and IMAGE-GISMO scenarios of future socio-economics. This project is performed in collaboration with VU University Amsterdam, Utrecht University and The Netherland Environmental Assessment Agency
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EU-FP7 BASE
2013
Climate change expert, hydrologist: In this EU funded program, future risk and climate change adaptation strategies are established for Europe. I am involved with flood risk estimation using the GLOFRIS model cascade and the impact of adaptation strategies on flood risk
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Hydrodynamic computation of Port Loco Creek
Sierra Leone , 2013
Hydrologist: a hydrological WFLOW model was established to estimate boundary condition flows at Port Loco. I was involved in the setup of the model and collection of climatological forcings, as well as the validation of the model.
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GRADE GLUE analysis
The Netherlands, 2011-2012
Hydrological modelling expert: performance of a Generalized Likelihood Uncertainty Estimation of the daily HBV model for the Rhine. GLUE was used to re-calibrate the hydrological model, taking into account parameter uncertainty
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World bank – Ghana: Weather risk mapping for Northern Ghana
Ghana, 2011-2012
Hydrology and remote sensing: in this project, Northern Ghana was analyzed for suitability for agriculture. In particular sensitivities due to climate variability and hydrological characteristics were taken into account.
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FP7 GLOWASIS: Global water scarcity information service
EU, 2011-2012
Hydrologist and forecasting expert: this project provides global information on droughts and water scarcity. Deltares focuses on setting up and pre-validating a global water scarcity forecasting system
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Flood Control 2015: Global Flood Observatory
European Commission, 2011-2012
Remote sensing expert: a methodology to produce and disseminate near-real time global flood maps based on active radar (EnviSAT) data is developed. The feasibility to produce near real-time maps based on the new high resolution satellite mission “Sentinel” is piloted.
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FP7 DEWFORA: Improved Drought Early Warning and Forecasting to strengthen preparedness and adaptation to droughts in Africa (2011-2013, European Commission)
EU, 2011-2012
Hydrologist and forecasting expert: In this project, a new framework to establish drought early warning systems and procedures in Africa is developed and piloted in a number of catchments across Africa.
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Advancing catchment hydrology to deal with predictions under change
2014
U. Ehret, H. V. Gupta, M. Sivapalan, S. V. Weijs, S. J. Schymanski, G. Blöschl, A. N. Gelfan, C. Harman, A. Kleidon, T. A. Bogaard, D. Wang, T. Wagener, U. Scherer, E. Zehe, M. F. P. Bierkens, G. Di Baldassarre, J. Parajka, L. P. H. van Beek, A. van Griensven, M. C. Westhoff, H. C. Winsemius (2014) 649-671. In Hydrology and Earth System Sciences 18 (2). -
Rapid setup of hydrological and hydraulic models using OpenStreetMap and the SRTM derived digital elevation model
2014
J. Schellekens, R.J. Brolsma, R.J. Dahm, G.V. Donchyts, H.C. Winsemius (2014) 98-105. In Environmental Modelling & Software. -
A decade of Predictions in Ungauged Basins (PUB)
2014
M. Hrachowitz, H.H.G. Savenije, G. Blöschl, J.J. McDonnell, M. Sivapalan, J.W. Pomeroy, B. Arheimer, T. Blume, M.P. Clark, U. Ehret, F. Fenicia, J.E. Freer, A. Gelfan, H.V. Gupta, D.A. Hughes, R.W. Hut, A. Montanari, S. Pande, D. Tetzlaff, P.A. Troch, S. Uhlenbrook, T. Wagener, H.C. Winsemius, R.A. Woods, E. Zehe, C. Cudennec (2013) a review, 1198-1255. In Hydrological Sciences Journal 58 (6). -
Assessing flood risk at the global scale: model setup, results, and sensitivity
2013
Ward, P.J., Jongman, B., Sperna Weiland, F., Bouwman, A., Van Beek, R., Bierkens, M. F. P., Ligtvoet, W. & Winsemius, H.C. (2013):, Env. Res. Lett., 8, 044019, doi: 10.1088/1748-9326/8/4/044019 -
A review of continental scale hydrological models and their suitability for drought forecasting in (sub-Saharan) Africa
2013
P. Trambauer, S. Maskey, H. Winsemius, M. Werner, S. Uhlenbrook (2013), 16-26. In Physics and Chemistry of the Earth, Parts A/B/C. -
Skill of a global seasonal streamflow forecasting system, relative roles of initial conditions and meteorological forcing
2013
Candogan Yossef, N., Winsemius, H. C., Weerts, A., Van Beek, R., Bierkens, M. F. P. (2013):, Water Resources Research, 49, 4687-4699, doi: 10.1002/wrcr.20350 -
A decade of Predictions in Ungauged Basins (PUB)
2013
Hrachowitz M. Savenije H.H.G. Blöschl G., McDonnell J.J., Sivapalan M., Pomeroy J.W., Arheimer B., Blume T., Clark M.P., Ehret U., Fenicia F., Freer J.E., Gelfan A., Gupta H.V., Hughes D.A., Hut R.W., Montanari A., Pande S., Tetzlaff D., Troch P.A., Uhlenbrook S., Wagener T., Winsemius H.C., Woods R.A., Zehe E. & Cudennec C. - a review, doi:10.1080/02626667.2013.803183 -
A framework to assess the realism of model structures using hydrological signatures
2013
Euser, T., Winsemius, H. C., Hrachowitz, M., Fenicia, F., Uhlenbrook, S., and Savenije, H. H. G. (2013):, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 1893-1912, doi:10.5194/hess-17-1893-2013 -
A framework for global river flood risk assessments
2013
Winsemius, H. C., Van Beek, L. P. H., Jongman, B., Ward, P. J., and Bouwman, A. (2013):, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 17, 1871-1892, doi:10.5194/hess-17-1871-2013 -
Runoff prediction in Ungauged Basins
2013
Contribution to book chapter: Blöschl, G., Sivapalan, M., Wagener, T., Viglione, A., Savenije, H. (2013):– Synthesis across processes, places and scales., chapter 11 -
Automated global water mapping based on wide-swath orbital synthetic-aperture radar.
2013
Westerhoff, R.S., Kleuskens, M. P. H., Winsemius, H.C., Huizinga, H.J., Brakenridge, G.R., Bishop, C. (2013): Automated global water mapping based on wide-swath orbital synthetic-aperture radar. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 17 (2), pp. 651-663. -
Estimation of predictive hydrological uncertainty using quantile regression: examples from the national flood forecasting system (England and Wales).
2011
Weerts, A. H.; Winsemius, H.C.;, Verkade, J. S. (2011): Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 15, 255-265, doi:10.5194/hess-15-255-2011
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On the calibration of hydrological models in ungauged basins: a framework for integrating hard and soft hydrological information.
2009
Winsemius, H. C., Schaefli, B., Montanari, A. & Savenije, H. H. G. (2009): Water Resour. Res., doi:10.1029/2009WR007706
Activities
2014-present | Member | Global Flood Partnership |
2013-present | Member of Young Scientific Council | Deltares |
2009-present | invited lecturer | Delft University of Technology |
2010-present | external reviewer MSc studies | UNESCO-IHE |