News

Deltares and the Dutch Water Authority Rivierenland jointly conducted a field experiment this week to test the strength of a dike. The aim was to find out what happens when water hits the dike at high tide.

The emergence of new technologies such as machine learning, special sensors and auto-analysers makes it possible to monitor water quality in near real-time. We refer to this as ‘high-frequency’ monitoring. The measurements provide more insight into the dynamics of water quality, and can therefore help water managers to identify causes of, for example, exceedances of standards. That opens up possible ways of achieving the objectives of the Water Framework Directive.

Last weekend, two serious collisions took place on our Dutch waterways within 24 hours. On Friday, a cargo ship loaded with gravel collided with the opened railway bridge over the Gouwe in Alphen aan den Rijn. A few hours later, a second incident took place: a ship full of sand rammed the weir at Borgharen, leading to the sinking of the 67-metre-long vessel. Although both incidents fortunately passed without personal injury, the consequences for infrastructure are significant.

Deltares and Suriname's Ministry of Public Works will work together in the coming years to exchange knowledge and work on relevant projects. The cooperation was made official in a Memorandum of Understanding, signed by Deltares director Annemieke Nijhof and Suriname's Minister of Public Works, Dr Riad Nurmohamed.

With the new Delta-lab, the research of knowledge institute Deltares on water and subsurface systems gets a major boost. The Delta-lab in Delft brings together applied experimental research, integrated expertise and the latest technology in a high-quality building. Knowledge from this lab contributes to society's growing demand for a healthy living environment.

At the end of September, Deltares and the Port of Rotterdam Authority signed a cooperation agreement with the aim of collaborating on innovations for water management and the subsurface in the port region. The agreement aims to develop joint knowledge, in order to make the port of Rotterdam more sustainable and more resilient to climate change.

Deltares has published the Activity Plan Mission-driven research 2025 in draft. It outlines the main lines of the Strategic Research that Deltares will carry out in 2025.

Water remains an underdeveloped topic in responsible investing. This is concerning, given the fundamental role it plays in biodiversity and economic growth, its close connection to climate change impacts, and the fact that access to clean water is a basic human right. A new report provides actionable insights for investors and businesses. From global to local: enhancing ESG data on Water offers water-related recommendations in support of responsible investment.

Cities are hot spots of economic and social activity. Most investment takes place in these areas. But cities are also hot spots for climate adaptation, with rising temperatures and increasingly extreme weather. Water surpluses and shortages are a challenge for the future-resilience of the safety, habitability, and health of cities.

The SpongeWorks project, which aims to enhance natural water retention at the landscape scale, has officially started. This Horizon Europe project focuses on advancing scientific knowledge and practical implementation of nature-based solutions in three large-scale river-basin in France, Greece, and Germany and the Netherlands. Deltares is co-coordinating the project, focusing on the implementation of practical solutions in the Vecht basin region.

Growing seaweed between wind turbines on the North Sea: that will become a reality this autumn at the Netherlands' first commercial seaweed farm. At wind farm Hollandse Kust Zuid, about eighteen kilometres off the coast of Scheveningen, North Sea Farm 1 will rise. Seaweed cultivation contributes to sequestering carbon and reducing CO2 emissions. Deltares is part of the initiating consortium North Sea Farmers.

Adaptation to the effects of climate change is becoming increasingly important. A tool that can help deal with such a long-term uncertainty is the adaptive pathways method, in which pivotal decisions are aligned with multiple pathways under different futures. In a recent study, published in Global Environmental Change, we analysed the use of adaptive pathways worldwide over the period of 10 years. We found that adaptive pathways planning helps to accelerate adaptation, generate new ideas, and identify path-dependency, barriers and opportunities.