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Jakia Akter earns PhD for research on geomorphological development of the Bengal delta and its sediment budget

Jakia Akter receiving her diploma

Following PhD research at IHE Delft, Jakia Akter of Bangladesh successfully defended her PhD thesis and was awarded with a Doctoral degree on 29 September 2022. Professor Dano Roelvink is her promotor and Associated Professor Mick van der Wegen her co-promotor. Dr Akter shared a few insights as she embarks on a new chapter of her life.

Dr. Akter’s research focused on the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta, which spans across Bangladesh and parts of India and is the world’s largest and most populous delta system. She is a Senior Specialist in the River, Delta and Coastal Morphology Division at the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services (CEGIS), a public trust under the Ministry of Water Resources in Bangladesh. Her PhD research was funded by Nuffic, the Dutch Organization for Internationalisation in Education, as part of a project that aims to strengthen the ability of Bangladesh to cope with future water challenges. Additional financing was provided by the Lamminga Fund.

Memorable moments

At IHE Delft, I made friends from all over the world. This is very unique: I know a lot of nationalities, customs and food. I like this very much.

Challenges during my PhD studies

The most challenging part was getting data in Bangladesh. Working at CEGIS helped me to get data, but I can imagine that for other students getting data is very challenging. Furthermore, living apart from my family was difficult for me.

The influence of my PhD research

I think we can do more research on this topic. For example: how will the delta develop in 100- or 200-years considering climate change or without climate change. I would like to explore more. I had a lot of dreams when started my PhD, but I could not fulfil all my dreams, so I would like to do more research on this topic.

Next steps

I will be working at CEGIS and continue with my research.

An important lesson

Specify your research questions clearly and know your limitations. I learned those while working. Also publish your work and build your network. Another personal lesson for me was that I was to emotional.

Research summary

Title of thesis: Modelling centuries of geo-morphological development of the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna Delta

The Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna (GBM) Delta is a good example of a large estuarine system with sparse data. This study describes the development and validation of a morphodynamic process-based model (Delft3D) as a tool to predict the dynamic system as a response to climate change, sea-level rise, subsidence and other influences. The modelled sediment transport of the Ganges and Jamuna systems is between 200 and 1100 million ton/year, which is in line with observations. On an annual basis sand accounts for less than 20% of the sediment load in the system with the remaining sediment being much finer. Analysis of modelled bed level changes over time reveals that only a few river systems are in an aggrading phase. The 2D model exhibits that about 22% of the supplied sediment deposits in the delta system on floodplains and tidal plains, whereas the remaining 78% of the sediment causes subaquatic delta progradation or is lost in the deep ocean bed. Although the model does not reproduce all natural phenomena at all spatial scales, it will be a valuable tool to describe and explore the morphodynamic development of the GBM Delta over decadal to centennial timescales for macro-scale understanding, planning, and management.

Dano Roelvink

Professor of Coastal Engineering and Port Development

Dano Roelvink