Delta Life 10

2 6 9 20 And also: 3. A word from the Minister 4. Interview with Karla Peijs 16. Infographic: ten years of Deltares 18. Powerhouse dikes 22. Testing ground: A27 groundwater study 23. Knowledge in operation: smart dredging 24. Open source software: dare to share! 28. Deltares in brief 30. Deltares software 31. Deltares Academy 6 TECHNOLOGY AND MORALITY How should we address a global issue like climate change in the decades to come? Futurologist Christian Kromme believes the answer can be found in technological innovation; philosopher Haroon Sheikh is calling for a moral revolution. 9 WATER CHALLENGES DOSSIER Deltares is ten years old and we are using the occasion to look ahead at the major water challenges of the future: flood risk management, water scarcity and resilient ecosystems. 20 DRY, DRYER, DRIEST Europe was gripped by drought this summer. The consequences will be felt for a long time. Five effective measures to tackle drought and the effects. CREDITS Delta Life is published by Deltares, the Dutch innova- tion and research institute in the fields of water, sub- surface and infrastructure. With independent research, Deltares is building the knowledge base that is urgently needed worldwide to keep deltas, coastal areas and ri- ver basins habitable. Knowledge development focuses on five themes: Flood Risk, Ecosystems and Environ- mental Quality, Water and Subsoil Resources, Delta Infrastructure and Sustainable Delta Planning. For more information: www.deltares.nl Editing desk: P.O. Box 177, 2600 MH Delft, tel. +31 (0)88 335 8273, communicatie@deltares.nl Subscriptions are free of charge and they can be requested or suspended by sending an e-mail to deltares@deltares.nl Text and editing: Deltares en Maters & Hermsen Journalistiek Translation: Pete Thomas layout: Deltares and Maters & Hermsen Vormgeving Printed by: Koninklijke BDU Grafisch Bedrijf bv ISSN: 2351-972X Twitter http://twitter.com/deltares LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com / company/deltares Facebook www.facebook.com / DeltaresNL/ FRONT COVER A lot of claims are made worldwide about how nature can combat floods, typhoons and tsunamis. But no proper research has ever been conducted into the effect of nature on extreme conditions of this kind. Howwell do trees break the waves? And won't the trees break? Nobody really knows. Together with Delft University of Technology and NIOZ, we decided to study these questions in our Delta Flume. This is the only research facility in existence where a trial with full-size trees is possible. The photo shows some of the thirty-two willows exposed to storm force waves. This is a test with willows in the summer when they are still covered in leaves. A few days later, the leaves were removed to simulate the conditions in winter.