Delta Life Nr. 5 February 2016

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DIKE FAILS, TRIAL SUCCESSFUL
How strong is a dike on a peat subsurface exactly? With the
completion of a trial in the Dutch Leendert de Boer Polder, where
researchers from Deltares and Del” University of Technology allowed
a centuries-old dike to fail in controlled conditions, we now know more.
The trial should allow water authorities to improve the robustness
of dikes of this kind and to cut unnecessary costs at the same time.
Researchers are analysing the data and they will decide in the spring
of 2016 whether the acquired knowledge results in the correct safety
assessments for this type of polder dike.
WORLDWIDE
STUDY OF FRESH
GROUNDWATER
RESERVES IN
COASTAL AREAS
A better understanding of salinisation in
groundwater systems and, at the same
time, the advancement of solutions to
prevent the further depletion of fresh
groundwater reserves in coastal areas
worldwide, and perhaps even to increase
the size of those reserves. These are the
aims of a joint study by Deltares and
Utrecht University. Researchers will be
drawing up precise maps showing the
status of groundwater resources in the
forty most important deltas in the world.
The data will also show how the reserves
respond to the climate, sea-level rise and
a growing population that is increasingly
drawn to cities and is pumping up more
and more fresh water. Researchers are
also looking for solutions, such as smarter
ways of extracting groundwater and ways
to increase the infiltration capacity of
the subsurface. Deltares and Utrecht
University are combining specific know-
ledge with freely available databases
from throughout the world. That makes
it possible for the first time to estimate
the size of fresh groundwater reserves,
even for areas where data is scarce like
the coastal zones of Bangladesh and
Myanmar.
CULTIVATING
MUSSELS AND SEAWEED
INWIND FARMS
Cultivating mussels and seaweed is the best way to combine
wind farms in the North Sea with other sources of income,
according to an analysis conducted by Deltares. Researchers
looked at the most promising approaches to the multiple
use of space in the North Sea, Baltic Sea, Atlantic Ocean and the
Mediterranean Sea. The energy costs of o£shore wind farms will have
to be reduced in the years to come, and space will have to be found in
the seas for both aquaculture and sustainable raw materials. At the
same time, the negative impact on the local area needs to be limited.
The study combined o£shore technology, marine spatial planning,
regulations, water quality and economic feasibility. A pilot project is
now needed to test and apply the results in practice. The study was
conducted on behalf of the EU by a consortium of 30 parties.
For more information:
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