This seminar explores how the Netherlands and other countries around the world deal with the threat of sea level rise.
Event Information
28 May 2025, 2:00 - 4:00 pm (UK time)
This event is an online event, free and open to all.
Zoom registration link
DescriptionStarting in the Netherlands, the effects of sea level rise on the existing flood management system are explored, as well as the engineering options and strategies to adapt to rising sea levels. As example, the area of Rotterdam is considered where options include a new storm surge barrier, a closed dam, or a more open system. Each strategy has different implications for urbanization, economy and ecology.
The second half of the presentation explores efforts to reduce coastal flood risk in a number of regions around the world and highlights how hard infrastructure and nature-based solutions are combined. Texas is developing a coastal megaproject to protection the Houston region. Bangladesh is investing in a coastal resilience strategy that includes the reinforcement as embankments as well as development of mangrove areas. The contribution closes with a general outlook on possibilities and limitations in the field of coastal adaptation. |
Speakers
Bas Jonkman is a professor of Hydraulic Engineering at Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. Since the year 2012, he holds the chair of Integral Hydraulic Engineering, which focuses on research and education in the fields of hydraulic structures and flood risk. He is also a visiting professor and recipient of the prestigious Hagler Fellowship at Texas A&M. He holds a PhD degree in Civil Engineering from TU Delft and has worked for the Dutch government, Royal HaskoningDHV, and UC Berkeley. His research interests include flood risk management, disaster management, and the integral design of hydraulic infrastructure, such as flood defences and storm surge barriers. He has been involved in post-disaster and design studies in New Orleans, Houston, Mozambique, and various countries in Southeast Asia. He was the scientific coordinator for a national fact-finding study after the 2021 summer floods that catastrophically affected the South of the Netherlands.
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