Hydrological PhD theses in the Netherlands Hydrology.

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HYDROLOGICAL PHD THESES IN THE NETHERLANDS Dynamics in groundwater and surface water quality From field-scale processes to catchment-scale models Ype van der Velde (2011); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 176 pp. Present & Future Visualising ideas of water infrastructure design Martine Poolman (2011); PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 256 pp. In redevelopment and redesign of small water structures local water governing institutions are increasingly required to and requesting that the planning processes are set up in a participatory manner. Decision making processes that are set-up to be participatory require stakeholders with different backgrounds, ideas, experiences and expertise to come together. Ideally they work collectively towards finding a solution to a problem situation. Because of their differences stakeholders often have different ideas about the problem situation and about the ways to solve it. Discussions take place and ideas are expressed in words or text as each stakeholder tries to explain his view of the situation and possible solution. Horace, however, wrote that the mind is more slowly stirred by the ear than by the eye. Visuals could provide a better understanding of a subject than words alone could. This PhD research looks at enabling stakeholders to make and use two-dimensional, still (non-moving) visuals to help identify which differences and similarities there are in stakeholders ideas of the problem situation and possible solutions. The main objective of this research was to design a methodology which enables stakeholders to make and use visuals to communicate their ideas about redevelopment and maintenance of small water structures. Optimisation of monitoring networks for water systems Information theory, value of information, and public participation Jos Leonardo Afonso Segura (2010); PhD thesis UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft, 200 pp. Monitoring networks provide data that is analysed to help managers make informed decisions about their water systems. Their design and evaluation have a number of challenges that must be resolved, among others, the restriction on having a limited number of monitoring devices. This book presents innovative methods to design and evaluate monitoring networks. The main idea is to maximise the performance of water systems by optimising the information content that can be obtained from monitoring networks. This is done through the combination of models and two theoretical concepts: Information Theory, initially developed in the field of communications, and Value of Information, initially developed in the field of economics. Additionally, the possibility of using public participation to gather information with mobile phones to improve models is also explored in the research. The results of this research demonstrate that monitoring networks can be evaluated and designed by considering new variables, such as the information content, the user of the information and the potential of current mobile phones for data collection. The role of interception in the hydrological cycle Miriam Gerrits (2010); PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 146 pp. Effect of climate change on temperate forest ecosystems Reinder Brolsma (2010); PhD thesis, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 160 pp In temperate climates groundwater can have a strong effect on vegetation, because it can influence the spatio-temporal distribution of soil moisture and therefore water and oxygen stress of vegetation. Current IPCC climate projections based on CO2 emission scenarios show a global temperature rise and change in precipitation regime, which will affect hydrological and vegetation systems. This thesis provides a quantitative framework for studying eco-hydrology in groundwater influenced temperate ecosystems. This study shows that quantifying and understanding the response of temperate forest ecosystems to climate change requires combined physically-based hydrological and bio-physically-based vegetation models. Climate-proof and process-based relationships between water, oxygen and vegetation Ruud Bartholomeus (2010); PhD thesis, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 128 pp. In order to improve vegetation predictions for the future climate, process-based and climate-proof relationships between site factors and vegetation are needed. This thesis addresses the development of climate-proof relationships between soil moisture conditions and vegetation, and shows that the use of correlative, indirect relationships between site factors and vegetation should be discouraged. The effect of climate change on moisture-related plant stresses is complex; both wet and dry extremes may be affected, and conditions that are not present under the current climatic conditions could occur in the future. In order to capture such effects, climate-dependent processes that directly affect vegetation should be analysed. By providing such analysis, this research contributes to one of the required improvements of habitat distribution models. The role of macropore flow from PLOT to catchment scale A study in a semi-arid area Loes van Schaik (2010); PhD thesis, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 174 pp. Desertification and landscape degradation is a worldwide problem, which is expected to grow in time due to unsustainable land use and climate change. In view of these problems, knowledge of the interaction between vegetation, soil moisture and surface runoff, with subsequent erosion risk is essential. This requires mapping of the spatial and temporal variability of infiltration and runoff production. The influence of preferential flow thereupon is nowadays widely recognized. Therefore in this thesis the role of preferential flow from plot scale to catchment scale on the hydrology is investigated, using field measurements and model applications. Climatology of extreme rainfall from raingauges and weather radar Aart Overeem (2009); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 144 pp. Extreme rainfall events can have a large impact on society and can lead to loss of life and property. Therefore, a reliable climatology of extreme rainfall is of importance, for instance, for the design of hydraulic structures. Such a climatology can be obtained by abstracting maxima from long rainfall records. Subsequently, a probability distribution is fitted to the selected maxima, so that rainfall depths can be estimated for a chosen return period, which can be longer than the rainfall record. In this thesis, the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution is used to model annual rainfall maxima. Computational Intelligence in RainfallRunoff Modeling Nico de Vos (2009); PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 149 pp. Anticipatory Water Management Using ensemble weather forecasts for critical events Schalk Jan van Andel (2009); PhD thesis, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft, 182 pp. Day-to-day water management is challenged by meteorological extremes, causing floods and droughts. Often operational water managers are informed too late about these upcoming events to be able to respond and mitigate their effects, such as by taking flood control measures or even requiring evacuation of local inhabitants. Therefore, the use of weather forecast information with hydrological models can be invaluable for the operational water manager to expand the forecast horizon and to have time to take appropriate action. This is called Anticipatory Water Management. Anticipatory actions may have adverse effects, such as when flood control actions turn out to have been unnecessary, because the actual rainfall was less than predicted. Therefore the uncertainty of the forecasts and the associated risks of applying Anticipatory Water Management have to be assessed. To facilitate this assessment, meteorological institutes are providing ensemble predictions to estimate the dynamic uncertainty of weather forecasts. This dissertation presents ways of improving the end-use of ensemble predictions in Anticipatory Water Management. Satellite data as complementary information for hydrological modelling Hessel Winsemius (2009); PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 186 pp. Important variables such as rainfall, evaporation, radiation, soil moisture and water storage can nowadays be estimated on the basis of raw satellite observations. This thesis describes the development and application of methods that allow to combine the scarce data, available in poorly gauged catchments, with expert knowledge and modern satellite data, with the purpose to conceptualise, calibrate and validate hydrological models.

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