Knowledge of the present

People often refer to the Netherlands as the delta of the rivers Rhine and Meuse. Referring to the entire country as one delta is a bit oversimplified of course. It does, however, illustrate that we cannot separate the influence of the rivers and the sea. The interaction between the rising sea level and the discharge of sand and gravel by the rivers after the last ice age has determined the formation of large parts of the country. In the future, the sea level will also influence the options to keep on safely discharging the rivers into the sea.

For a physical geographer who works on water, the Netherlands is a wonderful country. We have it all: the sea, estuaries, tidal basins, sand and gravel bed rivers, fresh, brackish and salt water lakes. What’s more, developments that affect one water system can hardly be separated from the big picture of the entire Dutch water management. During more than 30 years I have had a professional look at practically all these water systems, during research and advisory assignments.

Over the last years I have worked a lot on water issues at a national scale. I see the connection, be it about flood protection, combating salinization or droughts, or economic interests such as shipping. Once you see the big picture, it really starts being fun!