Field trip to Marker Wadden kicks off Netherlands Centre for Coastal Research conference
Marker Wadden, an artificial archipelago created to restore the ecosystem of a Dutch lake, started as a dream, Roel Posthoorn of the Dutch Society for Nature Conservation explained to the 50 participants of a field trip to the Marker Wadden islands. The field trip preceded a two-day conference in mid-March organised by IHE Delft on behalf of the Netherlands Centre for Coastal Research. During the NCK Days conference, 158 coastal experts, masters’ students and PhD candidates shared their insights into coastal resilience.
The seven Marker Wadden islands are located in Markermeer Lake, which was created in 1976, when a dam was built to separate it from what is now the IJsselmeer Lake. The Marker Wadden islands were constructed to improve Markermeer’s turbid and stagnant water. The lake’s poor water quality and its coastline, which lacks natural shores and shallow areas, negatively affected biodiversity. The number of birds and fish in the Markermeer had fallen dramatically in recent decades.
Freshwater resource
The Dutch government’s initial plan for the lake – to fill it in and use the resulting land for agriculture and housing - was dropped in 2006. However, no action was taken to improve the quality of the water and biodiversity in the lake until Posthoorn, with a coalition of organisations, created the archipelago in the lake’s northeast corner, near Lelystad. The construction of the islands began in 2016, using nature-based solutions (NBS) that aim to improve lake’s natural and water quality while also creating a nature reserve and leaving room for innovation. The combination of innovative hydraulic engineering, research, nature-based solutions and reclaimed land for restoring biodiversity made the man-made islands a perfect field trip destination for the NCK Days, which were held under the theme ‘Innovative science for a resilient coast’.
The lake’s water quality is gradually improving, with the islands’ soft shores and shallow habitats allowing sunlight to reach the lakebeds, encouraging vegetation growth and creating marshes, mudflats, shallow pools, creeks and broad channels that attract wildlife.
Modelling vs field work
During the two-days conference, 35 speakers – coastal experts with years of experience as well as young MSc students from Dutch universities and knowledge centres – gave presentations about sand waves, coasts, estuarine hydrodynamics and morphodynamics, dunes, coastal ecology, and nature-based solutions.
Many of the NCK Days participants use sophisticated computer modelling to predict eco-morphology in rivers. At Marker Wadden, they learned about the importance of getting out into the field to check whether models are correct: the island’s coastal erosion is much stronger than models predicted.
The Netherlands Centre for Coastal Research is a network of experts in coastal studies from research institutes and universities. The NCK Days participants included Masters students and PhD candidates from IHE Delft, Wageningen University and Research, University of Twente, Delft University of Technology, HZ University of Applied Sciences, Utrecht University and researchers from Deltares, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) and Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research.
Netherlands Centre for Coastal Research field trip to Marker Wadden
Mick van der Wegen
Head of the CURR Department
Related
News ·
Uta Wehn appointed Professor of Citizen Science and Sustainability
Uta Wehn, recently appointed Professor of Citizen Science and Sustainability at IHE Delft and Leiden University, is a champion for citizen science that empowers citizens and communities to contribute to positive change. Her professorship will analyse and expand the role of citizen science in catalysing change toward sustainability.
News ·
Research paper: SIDS key to global solutions for climate change and other challenges
Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are key to the quest for solutions to global challenges like climate change, Assela Pathirana, IHE Delft Associate Professor of in Water Infrastructure Asset Management, argues in a new research paper. Local solutions used and tested on small islands can inspire climate adaptation solutions in larger settings elsewhere in the world.
News ·
2024 reflections: Water and Development Partnership Programme
The year 2024 has been an inspiring, yet challenging year for our Water and Development Partnership Programme. As it comes to an end, we reflect on the partnerships, experiences and achievements that shaped our efforts and impact over the past months.