News

iML-WKW is a new initiative by Deltares, KNMI and Rijkswaterstaat: a national facility that provides the infrastructure for the development and application of new computational models for weather, climate and water. For the first time in the Netherlands, these three domains are working together structurally on a single platform. The programme is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs through the Applied Research Facilities (FTO) scheme. It officially launched on 1 July 2026 during a gathering at Deltares in Delft.

New research by Deltares and Universities of Delft, Twente, Leipzig and Vienna shows how artificial intelligence can help monitor the health of ecosystems and their role in the carbon cycle across different landscapes -without the need for site-specific calibration.

As climate-related disasters become more frequent, effective recovery planning is becoming increasingly important, especially for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). This study examined recovery needs and actions after Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Sint Maarten (2017), using a SIDS recovery framework to assess whether key sectors and recovery priorities were adequately addressed.

Researchers from Deltares and VU University Amsterdam have developed a framework that helps managers of critical infrastructure make better-informed decisions by comparing the performance climate adaptation measures. The model captures not only direct damage, but also the economic impacts of disruptions across networks.

Water has connected Japan and the Netherlands for centuries. Both countries live with water and continuously seek ways to adapt to it. While cooperation in the past focused mainly on trade, today it centres on a joint approach to climate change and water safety. In this context, Emperor Naruhito and King Willem-Alexander visited Deltares this afternoon.

The research programme Biodiversity in Focus has officially started. A broad-based consortium with partners from academia, government, NGO's and industry will collaborate to develop a practical, reliable and cost-effective monitoring strategy to assess biodiversity status at a local level. Biodiversity in Focus is an initiative led by Witteveen en Bos and Deltares.

Dutch cities are increasingly facing foundation problems as a result of low groundwater levels, shrinking clay soils and land subsidence. Climate change is exacerbating these effects. At the same time, municipalities are investing more and more in green infrastructure, such as permeable pavements, rain gardens, swales and enhanced tree planting areas, to improve water management (drought, floodings), reduce heat stress, strengthen biodiversity and more . This raises an important question: what effect does green infrastructure have on soil conditions and foundations? Can it also contribute to protecting foundations?

How long can our clay dykes withstand severe storms with high waves? To make dyke reinforcement more effective, sustainable and efficient, the Brabantse Delta water authority, together with Deltares, Fugro and Arcadis, is investigating how quickly grass-covered clay dykes erode.

Crack formation in clay layers poses a risk to the safety of dykes, as well as to landfills and other hydraulic infrastructure that rely on clay as a sealing or water-retaining layer. When cracks develop, permeability increases and the risk of failure rises. New research by Deltares provides further insight into how clay bends, deforms and ultimately cracks under loading.

Deltares is co-author of the latest Sand and Sustainability: An Essential Resource for Nature and Development report by the UN (UNEP) that warns of the sand gap. This gap results from the fact that humans are currently extracting sand faster than it replenishes in nature. The resulting dilemma we face is that humans depend on ‘dead’ sand for infrastructure and ‘living’ sand for ecosystem services. We must use both in balance with one another to live safely.

Deltares plays a key role in a new European research project, OASIS, coordinated by SYKE, which focuses on artificial intelligence (AI), satellite data and digital innovations to better monitor and predict water quality and ecosystems for the benefit of future water and nature management in Europe.

After more than four decades at the forefront of coastal science and engineering, Dano Roelvink will retire in May as an expert in coastal morphology at Deltares and as Professor of Coastal Engineering and Port Development at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education.