Delta Life 9

29 It is vital to monitor changes in surface water to understand how our planet is changing. In his dissertation, Gennadii Donchyts describes automated methods to detect surface water using satellite images. He studied existing methods, introduced new algorithms and developed the Deltares Aqua Monitor. Gennaddi Donchyts was awarded his doctorate at Delft University of Technology on 11 January. Supervisor: Professor N. C. van de Giesen River engineering projects depend critically on the reliability of numerical models. They are used for, among other things, simulating high and low water levels. It is well known that numerical errors in the models affect the results but it is often not known how large this error is. In his dissertation, Frank Platzek looks at the causes and extent of common errors. The study shows that some apparently minor numerical choices can have a major impact on the model results. Frank Platzek was awarded his doctorate at Delft University of Technology on 14 November. His doctorate research was conducted in conjunction with Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau (BAW) from Germany. Supervisors: Professor Guus Stelling and Professor Julie Pietrzak Deltares ACADEMY DOCTORATE STUDENTS OUR PLANET IN MILLIONS OF MEGA PIXELS RIVER ENGINEERING PROJECTS Simulating waves and sediment The annual AGU, the largest scientific conference in the world in the fields of earth, space and climate, took place in New Orleans from 11 to 15 December. Deltares teamed up with the Water Institute of the Gulf to organise stands, lectures and courses in Delft3D. Delft3D is software for simulating two-dimensional and three-dimensional flows, sediment transport and morphology, waves, water quality and ecology, and it describes the interactions between these processes. Course participants were challenged to build a coupled hydro-dynamic model for waves and sediment transport. At the end of the course, participants had the opportunity to simulate a tidal inlet. To integrate theory and practice, and of course to experience The Big Easy for themselves, the course concluded with a boat trip on the Mississippi River to look at the morphology and sediment with their own eyes. DELTARES, APRIL 2018