Research portfolio delta_academy_s2_2014_2015

RESEARCH PORTFOLIO
ASSIGNMENTS FEBRUARY 2015 - JUNE 2015
DA - APPLIED RESEARCH CENTRE
DECEMBER 2014

TABLE OF CONTENTS
DELTA APPLIED RESEARCH CENTRE ............................................................................................... 1
RESEARCH GROUP AQUACULTURE IN DELTA AREAS ...................................................................... 3
CULTIVATING RED MOSQUITO LARVAE .......................................................................................................... 3
LIVE FEED FOR FISH LARVAE: COPEPODS........................................................................................................ 3
MODELLING SHELLFISH PRODUCTION ............................................................................................................ 4
REPRODUCTION OF SEAWEED ........................................................................................................................ 4
IMPROVING PRODUCTON OF A LONGLINE MUSSEL CULTURE SYSTEM IN THE EASTERN SCHELDT ESTUARY 5
A COMPARISON OF OYSTER QUALITY BETWEEN OYSTERS FROM DIFFERENT PRODUCTION METHODS AND
ORIGIN............................................................................................................................................................. 5
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF OFF-BOTTOM OYSTER PRODUCTION............................................................. 5
SHELLFISH PRODUCTION PARAMETERS IN OFF-BOTTOM AND IN-BOTTOM CULTURES IN THE DUTCH DELTA
........................................................................................................................................................................ 6
RELATION BETWEEN SURVIVAL AND SMALL SCALE SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF MUSSELS AT DIFFERENT
DENSITIES AND FOOD LEVELS ......................................................................................................................... 6
REDUCING DISLOGMENT RISK OF MUSSEL SEED AFTER SEEDING IN ON-BOTTOM MUSSEL CULTURE.......... 6
MAPPING SPATIAL PATTERNS OF MUSSEL GROWTH AND MUSSEL LOSS ON CULTURE PLOTS IN THE
OOSTERSCHELDE ESTUARY ............................................................................................................................. 7
RESEARCH GROUP BUILDING WITH NATURE ................................................................................. 8
KICK-STARTING BIODIVERSITY......................................................................................................................... 8
EXOTIC INVADERS ........................................................................................................................................... 9
QUANTIFYING BIOTIC EFFECTS ON SEDIMENT ERODIBILITY........................................................................... 9
ARTIFICIAL OYSTER REEFS ON THE OESTERDAM SAFETY BUFFER PROJECT LOCATION................................ 10
SEDIMENT DYNAMICS OF THE OESTERDAM SAND NOURISHMENT............................................................. 10
CHANNEL DEVELOPMENT AT THE OESTERDAM NOURISHMENT ................................................................. 11
LOBSTER COLONIZATION OF A RICH FORESHORE AT SCHELPHOEK, EASTERN SCHELDT.............................. 11
OYSTER CULTURE ON DIKES.......................................................................................................................... 12
SALT MARSH DEVELOPMENT IN THE RAMMEGORS POLDER ....................................................................... 13
MULTIFUNCTIONAL DIKE USE IN THE SOUTH-WESTERN DELTA................................................................... 13
INTERNSHIPS AND GRADUATION PROJECT OUTSIDE HZ................................................................... 14
IDENTIFYING THE RELATION BETWEEN THE TRAITS OF INTERTIDAL-ORGANISM AND THE ECOSYSTEM
SERVICES THEY PROVIDE: CARBON STORAGE, COASTAL PROTECTION AND BIODIVERSITY......................... 14
DEVELOPING KNOWLEDGE TO PRESERVE AND RESTORE VALUABLE COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS: A GLOBAL
STUDY ON SEAGRASSES, MANGROVES AND SALT MARSHES ....................................................................... 14
BIOGEOMORPHIC LANDSCAPE FORMATION BY ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS: GENERALIZING ACROSS SPECIES
BY UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF ORGANISM TRAITS (PLANTS, ALGAE AND BENTHOS)........................... 15
PROVIDING A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING HOW TO MAXIMIZE COMBINED NATURE AND COASTAL
PROTECTION GOALS...................................................................................................................................... 15
RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS WATER TECHNOLOGY......................................................................... 16
REUSE OF GREENHOUSE WASTEWATER ....................................................................................................... 16

ENHANCING THE BIODEGRADABILITY OF COOLING TOWER BLOWDOWN USING ADVANCED OXIDATION
PROCESSES .................................................................................................................................................... 16
REUSE OF PROCESS WATER AND WATER CONTENTS FROM POTATO INDUSTRY......................................... 17
RECHARGE OF AGRICULTURAL WATER SUPPLY WITH PURIFIED WASTEWATER .......................................... 17
OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ULTRAFILTRATION PROCESSES .......................................................... 17
INTERNSHIPS AND GRADUATION PROJECTS OUTSIDE HZ ................................................................. 18
PILOT PLANT HARNASCHPOLDER ( DELFT, THE HAGUE), EVIDES & VEOLIA & ROSSMARK .......................... 18
DETERMINING THE OPTIMUM PROCESS CONDITIONS FOR PRETREATMENT AND NF FOR MILD
DESALINATION (DOW BENELUX, EVIDES) ..................................................................................................... 18
DOW BENELUX BV......................................................................................................................................... 18
WETSUS......................................................................................................................................................... 18
WATERSCHAP SCHELDESTROMEN – STAGE/AFSTUDEREN (NEDERLANDS), WISSELENDE ONDERWERPEN 18
WATERHOUDERIJ WALCHEREN – STAGE/AFSTUDEREN (NEDERLANDS), WISSELENDE ONDERWERPEN..... 18
RESEARCH GROUP WATER SAFETY & SPATIAL PLANNING............................................................ 19
ASSIGNMENT PROFESSIONALS AND SELF-RELIANT CITIZENS (COE PROJECT 2014-2016) ............................ 19
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE......................................................................... 20
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND ECONOMIC DRIVERS.................................................................................... 20
ASSIGNMENTS WATERPOORT ........................................................................................................... 21
(ECONOMIC) CONSEQUENCES FOR RECREATION ENTREPRENEURS, BY THE SALINIZATION AND THE
RETURN OF TIDES AT LAKE VOLKERAK-ZOOM .............................................................................................. 21
(ECONOMIC) CONSEQUENCES FOR FARMERS, BY A CHANGING WATERSYSTEM ........................................ 21
(ECOLOGIC) CONSEQUENCES FOR NATURE ORGANISATIONS, BY A CHANGING WATERSYSTEM ................ 22
EXPERIENCE OF THE INUNDATION AREAS OF THE SOUTH-WESTERN WATER LINE...................................... 22
MULTIFUNCTIONAL DIKE USE IN THE SOUTH-WESTERN DELTA................................................................... 23
FINAL THESIS PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES AT PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS......................................... 24
ASSIGNMENT FLOOD RESILIENT AREAS BY MULTILAYER SAFETY (FINAL THESIS AT SAFETY REGION) ......... 24
OTHER FINAL THESIS PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES AT PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS........................................ 24

Reservoir
near DOW
Oyster
cultivation in
SEA Lab
Oesterdam
Safety Buffer
Project

Research Portfolio of the DA Applied Research Centre February - June 2015 1
DELTA APPLIED RESEARCH CENTRE
De Delta Academy richt haar onderwijs en haar onderzoek primair op hbo en hbo+ niveau. Het Delta Academy
Applied Research Centre (DA-ARC) is een onderdeel van de Delta Academy. Hier werken meer dan 30
docent/onderzoekers aan heel verschillend onderzoek in vier onderzoekgroepen op het gebied van
Watertechnologie, Veiligheid en Gebiedsinrichting, Aquacultuur in Deltagebieden en Bouwen met Natuur.
Het type onderzoek dat in de Delta Academy wordt uitgevoerd is praktijkgericht onderzoek. Daaronder wordt
onderzoek verstaan dat uitgevoerd wordt voor en samen met bedrijven, overheden en kennisinstituten in de
regio en daarbuiten. Het onderzoek genereert nieuwe kennis en inzichten, maar levert ook praktisch
toepasbare producten en concrete oplossingen voor praktijkproblemen. Zo kan het onderzoek in de Delta
Academy bijvoorbeeld door universiteiten ontwikkelde kennis toepasbaar maken voor bedrijven. Veel
ontwikkelde kennis is namelijk niet zomaar geschikt voor directe toepassing in de praktijk; door het toegepaste
onderzoek van de hogescholen komt de kennis ter beschikking van bedrijven in de vorm van bijvoorbeeld
producten en ontwerpen. De Delta Academy sluit aan bij de ambitie en de beleidsmatige ruimte van de
Provincie Zeeland om het deltagebied ook als laboratorium te benutten.
Het onderzoek kent een nauwe relatie met het onderwijs via de bijdrage aan onderwijsactiviteiten, via
cursussen, veldwerk en laboratorium onderzoek. Veel studenten zijn via de onderzoekgroepen bij bedrijven
aan de slag in stages, minoren en afstudeerprojecten.
Studenten die geïnteresseerd zijn in een stage of onderzoeksminor kunnen hun belangstelling kenbaar maken
aan de hand van een motivatiebrief. Motivatiebrieven graag voor februari 2015 indienen bij de contactpersoon
van de onderzoeksgroep van uw keuze:
 Aquacultuur in Deltagebieden: Jouke Heringa – jouke.heringa@hz.nl
 Building with Nature: Carla Pesch – cpesch@hz.nl
 Water Technologie: Hans Cappon – hans.cappon@hz.nl
 Waterveiligheid en ruimtelijke ordening: Jean-Marie Buijs – jm.buijs@hz.nl
Zie ook
http://hz.nl/nl/werkenleren/Kennisdeling%20en%20samenwerking/Applied%20Research%20Center/Pages/Ap
plied-Research-Center.aspx op de HZ website voor verdere informatie over de onderzoekgroepen.
Zie https://nl-nl.facebook.com/HZDeltaAcademy voor actuele informatie over onderzoek en onderwijs

******* ENGLISH TEXT ****************************************************************
The Delta Academy, is primarily focused on Bachelor level education and research. The Delta Academy Applied
Research Centre (DA-ARC) is part of the Delta Academy. Within the DA-ARC four research groups exist, focusing
on Water Technology, Aquaculture in Delta Areas, Safety and Spatial Development and Building with Nature.
More than 30 part time researchers of DA-ARC are involved in research. Within the Delta Academy three
international bachelor studies are working together with the research groups.
The research that is carried out in the DA-ARC is applied research. This research is carried out in close
collaboration with various clients, such as commercial firms (SME) and public institutes in the Netherlands ,
sometimes in international consortia. The research produces new knowledge and insights and delivers practical
solutions and products to the clients.
DA-ARC research is linked to education programs in the Delta Academy through courses, fieldwork and work in
our laboratory facility SEA Lab. Many students that work in our research groups are linked with our clients
through internships, minors and research-assignments.
Students that are interested in an internship, research minor or final thesis can apply by sending a motivation
letter. Motivation letters are to be sent preferably before February 2015. Please send your letter to the contact
person for the research group of your interest:
 Aquaculture in Delta Areas: Jouke Heringa – jouke.heringa@hz.nl
 Building with Nature: Carla Pesch – cpesch@hz.nl
 Water Technology: Hans Cappon – hans.cappon@hz.nl
 Water safety and Spatial Planning: Jean-Marie Buijs – jm.buijs@hz.nl
Also check
http://hz.nl/nl/werkenleren/Kennisdeling%20en%20samenwerking/Applied%20Research%20Center/Pages/Ap
plied-Research-Center.aspx for further information on the research groups. See https://nl-
nl.facebook.com/HZDeltaAcademy for our actual status of our research and education.

RESEARCH GROUP AQUACULTURE IN DELTA AREAS
Research group Aquaculture in Delta Areas of the Delta Academy has its focus on sustainable saline
aquaculture in and outside the region Zeeland. Aquaculture is the controlled production of saline crops, algae,
seaweed, ragworms, shellfish and fish. Cultivation of these organisms can take place in several (intensive and
extensive) ways. The research group Aquaculture has built up an extensive network of Small and Medium
Enterprises (SME), consultancies and knowledge institutes involved in aquaculture in and outside the
Netherlands. The main research topics are; Integrated Multi Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), new species to the
Dutch situation (such as lobster and abalone), improvement of cultivation environments, groundwater
suitability, quality aspects in shellfish cultivation and algae cultivation.
The research group Aquaculture uses a full-fledged research facility SEA Lab, in which many applied research
(experiments) are carried out.
More information about research possibilities of this group: Jouke Heringa: jouke.heringa@hz.nl
Please send your application and motivation letters to Jouke Heringa. Motivation letters are to be handed in
preferably before February 2015.
CULTIVATING RED MOSQUITO LARVAE
In the aquarium / ornamental fish industry fish are usually fed with high-quality fish feed in the form of aquatic
organisms. Organisms such as tubifex , prawns , brine shrimp and various species of mosquito larvae are fed in
frozen form ( blisters) as live feed. One of the most commonly used food organisms in the aquarium /
ornamental fish industry is the Red Mosquito larvae (Chironomidae) . The mosquito larvae are now imported
from eastern Europe (Ukraine). Due to the current unstable political situation in Ukraine and the improving
water quality worldwide, the company 3F Frozen Fish Food expects that the demand for Red Mosquito larvae
will exceed the natural production in the nearby future. This could lead to a market for farmed mosquito larvae
bloodworms.
In order to lower the production costs two processes have been identified: 1. Increase production, by means of
optimizing cultivation parameters (salinity, temperature and stocking density). 2 lower feed costs, by means of
feeding the mosquito larvae organic waste streams.
Research type: literature study, experiments (HZ, Vlissingen)
Research level: minor/ internship/final thesis (BSc. level)
Prerequisite: good understanding of biology; good analytical skills; communicative
Researcher involved: research group aquaculture (Wessel Bakhuizen and Jasper van Houcke)
Period: 2nd semester 2014-15
LIVE FEED FOR FISH LARVAE: COPEPODS
In many cases live feeds are used in the first feeding phase of fish larvae. Research showed that use of
copepods has several advantages over the use of Artemia or rotifers: 1. Early life stages of copepods are
smaller than Artemia or rotifers and therefore more suitable for small fish larvae; 2. The swimming motions of
copepods seem to be more attractive to fish larvae; 3. The nutritional value of copepods is higher than for the
other live feed sources. Because of these reasons copepod eggs have a huge market potential and could be
exported worldwide. However besides producing copepod eggs and ensuring good quality of the eggs. The eggs
still have to be stored and transported in order to make shipping possible. Questions remain on the processing
steps and their relation with the quality and shelf life of the eggs.
Research type: literature study, experiments (HZ, Vlissingen)
Research level: minor / internship / final thesis (BSc./MSc. level)
Prerequisite: good understanding of biology/chemistry; good analytical skills; communicative
Researcher involved: research group aquaculture (Pim van Dalen and Jasper van Houcke)

MODELLING SHELLFISH PRODUCTION
In September 2013 the RAAK PRO project ‘Saline production’ has been granted. This project involves a 4 year
study in optimizing various near shore shellfish culture in Lake Grevelingen, Lake Veere and Oosterschelde in
the South West Delta Region. Focus of the project is off bottom (in cages) oyster farming, bottom culture of
manila clams and cockles, and rope culture of mussels, all in close cooperation with local producers, companies
and research institutes (a.o. IMARES). Main goal of the project is to increase on site (farm-scale) shellfish
production, based on local (farm-scale) conditions. One of the activities of this project is the development of a
mathematical production model that can be used as a decision support tool for farmers.
In a previous phase of this project, a 0-D farm model has been developed in R. The model is based on an
generic growth model (the Dynamic Energy Budget model) and a model describing the population dynamics.
The input to the model are the starting conditions (species, amount and size) and the environmental conditions
(temperature and food). The output of the model is the development and production of the shellfish. By
varying input, users can run different scenarios and evaluate the effect of management options.
In a previous phase, simulations were made with data on temperature and food availability from fixed
monitoring locations of RWS. Since July 2014, on-site data on food availability (chlorophyll-a) and temperature
from the actual farms is available. With the model, the student(s) will perform model simulations in order to
get insight on density dependent food uptake and describe the relations for the different shellfish species
(mussels, oysters, clams and cockles) between stocking density and food uptake, and between food transport/
flow rate and food availability/uptake. The challenge is to preprocess the measured data on temperature and
food availability and analyze the model output using different input. The student will learn to work with
dynamic models using the open source software R. Student(s) will work closely together with researchers from
IMARES and research group Aquaculture in Delta Areas.
Research type: literature/desk study
Research level: minor/internship
Prerequisite: good understanding of ecology, biology of shellfish and hydrology; good analytical and
mathematical skills; good planning skills
Researcher involved: research group aquaculture (Tony van der Hiele) and IMARES
Period: 2st
semester 2014-2015
REPRODUCTION OF SEAWEED
The company Seaweed Harvest Holland is in the startup phase to farm seaweed in pond systems for human
consumption. At the moment they grow seaweed on a pilot scale level in a pond system in Colijnsplaat. For
different species of seaweed it is possible to buy starting material in the form of seaweed spores on lines.
Under the right circumstances the spores will grow out to harvestable seaweed. For one of the seaweed
species that Seaweed Harvest Holland wants to produce, the red seaweed species Gracilaria, it is not possible
to obtain the starting material at seaweed hatcheries.
Seaweed Harvest Holland wants to know how to reproduce Gracilaria in a controlled environment to produce
starting material for the pond systems. This research involves literature research to obtain information about
reproduction and grow-out techniques for Gracilaria. Based on literature and in cooperation with a seaweed
hatchery (Hortimare), the setup for experiments in the SEA Lab needs to be designed and build. Explorative lab
experiments to reproduce Gracilaria will be carried out in the SEA Lab. The aim of this research is to obtain
practical knowledge about controlled reproduction of Gracilaria.
Research type: lab experiments and literature study (HZ, Vlissingen)
Research level: minor/ internship/final thesis (both BSc. and MSc. level)
Prerequisite: good understanding of biology; good analytical skills; good literature search skills; good practical
skills; communicative
Researcher involved: research group aquaculture (Jorik Creemers)

IMPROVING PRODUCTON OF A LONGLINE MUSSEL CULTURE SYSTEM IN THE EASTERN SCHELDT
ESTUARY
The largest longline mussel culture in the Eastern Scheldt is in a former harbor at Neeltje Jans, build during the
construction of the storm surge barrier. In longline culture mussels are attached to ropes, (longlines) and
socked in, from where they grow to consumption mussels in one or two years’ time. The culture area is semi-
enclosed, water exchange within this harbor is provided by only one connection to the Eastern Scheldt. Mussel
production on the longlines is dependent on environmental conditions, like food concentration in the water
column, current through the system and effects at culture systems scale, like mussel density, rope density and
rope depth. Within the framework of the PROFMOS project, research is done in close collaboration with the
mussel growing company on how production can be optimized. Several research topics will be addressed,
including estimating the effects of stratification, mussel density and variation in mussel size on the culture
ropes. These questions will be addressed by executing field experiments and incorporating results into a mussel
production model. This requires onshore and offshore fieldwork and good communication skills in order to
communicate with the mussel farmer at the culture site.
Research type: fieldwork including mussel and nutrient sampling (at Neeltje Jans), labwork including nutrient
analysis and (optional) modelling
Research level: internship/final thesis (both BSc. and MSc. level)
Perquisite: good understanding of biology, basic knowledge of hydrology, analytical skills, car license, good
planning skills, communication skills
Researchers involved: research group aquaculture (Eva Hartog and Jacob Capelle)
A COMPARISON OF OYSTER QUALITY BETWEEN OYSTERS FROM DIFFERENT PRODUCTION
METHODS AND ORIGIN
Market demands for high quality oysters is higher current production in the Dutch delta. A group of oyster
growers are starting with a new initiative to culture oysters off-bottom, in baskets and bags (on tables).
Whether this method is successful and allows up-scaling, is dependent on the growth and quality of the oyster
from these production methods and the cost-price per oyster. Growth and quality should be better than for
oysters from on-bottom plots, which is the traditional oyster culture in The Netherlands and at least
comparable to oysters important from France. The objective of this assignment is to test differences in oyster
quality for the different oysters under study.
Research type: combination of field work and lab work
Research level: minor/internship (BSc. level)
Prerequisite: driving license, exactitude, good communication skills
Researcher involved: research group aquaculture (Jacob Capelle)
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS OF OFF-BOTTOM OYSTER PRODUCTION
Market demands for high quality oysters is higher than current production in the Dutch delta. A group of oyster
growers are starting with a new initiative to culture oysters off-bottom, in baskets and bags (on tables).
Structure of culture systems and activities around them will have an impact on the local environment. This
impact needs to be quantified. Impacts will be estimated by effects on bird disturbance, by quantifying effects
of culture activities on foraging bird species.
Research type: field work
Research level: minor/internship (BSc. level), preferably in combination with the previous topic
Prerequisite: driving license, bird identification skills

SHELLFISH PRODUCTION PARAMETERS IN OFF-BOTTOM AND IN-BOTTOM CULTURES IN THE DUTCH
DELTA
This assignment falls within the framework of a project (Saline Production), in which optimization of shellfish
production by different innovative methods in the Dutch delta is investigated. Production is determined by
growth and survival of starting material, which are often juvenile shellfish. Culture systems and species under
research include: longline mussel culture, oysters (Crassostrea gigas and Ostrea edulis) in baskets, bags and
flupsies, carpet shells and cockles in-bottom on culture plots. We are looking for a student to take and process
samples from the different culture systems and analyze results on growth, mortality and quality (meat weight,
shell shape and fouling) as function of shellfish density, location within the culture system for different culture
systems and different culture areas.
Research type: combination of field work and lab work
Research level: internship (BSc.level)
Prerequisite: understanding of basic ecological principles, driving license, innovative
Researcher involved: research group aquaculture (Jouke Heringa and Jacob Capelle)
RELATION BETWEEN SURVIVAL AND SMALL SCALE SPATIAL ORGANIZATION OF MUSSELS AT
DIFFERENT DENSITIES AND FOOD LEVELS
When mussels are equally spread, they will redistribute in structures like clumps or net-like structures. Relaying
of mussels is common practice in the aquaculture of mussels. An effect of this relaying process is a very large
mussel mortality. There are indications, from field observations, that this mussel mortality is related to the
redistribution process through competition, either for food or space. This hypothesis needs testing under
controlled conditions. Therefore, two experiments will be performed, one under equal and one under unequal
per capita food levels, with mussels in a range of densities. Spatial organization, survival and mussel condition
index will be compared between treatments.
Research type: controlled experiment
Research level: internship/final thesis (both BSc. and MSc. level)
Perquisite: good understanding of biology, analytical skills, dedicated
REDUCING DISLOGMENT RISK OF MUSSEL SEED AFTER SEEDING IN ON-BOTTOM MUSSEL CULTURE
In on-bottom mussel culture mussel seed (small mussels) is seeded on culture plots, where they grow out to
consumption size. Mussels on culture plots experience large loss rates in the period between seeding and
harvest. Mussel farmers employ several techniques to increase survival. An important loss factor is
dislodgement of mussel seed by current or wave action. It is believed that dislodgement risk can be reduced by
increasing substrate complexity. In a complex substrate mussels will be able to attach better, reducing risk of
dislodgement. One way to increase substrate complexity is adding dead shell material to the mussel seed. We
will examine the effectiveness of this measure, by performing a flume study. In this study dislodgment
thresholds of different mussel densities, with or without an equal biomass ratio of dead shell material will be
tested.
Research type: controlled experiment
Research level: minor/internship/final thesis (both BSc. and MSc. level)
Perquisite: precise, dedicated, analytical skills, good overall study performance
Researcher involved: research group aquaculture (Jacob Capelle) in corporation with NIOZ

MAPPING SPATIAL PATTERNS OF MUSSEL GROWTH AND MUSSEL LOSS ON CULTURE PLOTS IN THE
OOSTERSCHELDE ESTUARY
Together with a group of mussel farmers we study factors that determine production on culture plots in the
Oosterschelde estuary. In 2014 we measured mussel growth at different locations and mussels farmers in this
project kept a logbook of their activities. We need to integrate all this information in a workable database and
project results on a spatial map in order to identify spatial patterns. Besides this desk study, the student will
actively participate in sampling and processing of samples.
Research type: desk study & sampling
Research level: internship (BSc. level)
Perquisite: preferably affinity with ArcMAP and MS Access or willing to develop such skills
Researcher involved: research group aquaculture (Eva Hartog & Jacob Capelle)

RESEARCH GROUP BUILDING WITH NATURE
As a result of changes in societal demand and technical developments, water management and engineering are
moving from hard traditional structures like dikes and dams, to designs in which natural structures and
processes are incorporated. One of the underlying factors in this development is the increasing awareness of
the impacts of climate change and its effect on water levels and extreme events. Furthermore, water managers
are expected to create more safety, opportunities for recreation, and other benefits, with increasingly smaller
budgets. This requires infrastructure that combines multiple functions. In our research group we work on
application of the Building with Nature concept. ‘Building with Nature’ focusses on solutions that use abiotic
forces of nature (e.g. wind and currents that transport sand) and ecosystem services delivered by organisms
(e.g. reefs and vegetation that catch and stabilize sand). The research group also focusses on Building for
Nature: creating additional nature values in and on monofunctional structures such as dikes.
Current research themes include:
1) Optimizing the design of Building with Living Nature structures such as oyster reefs or salt marshes,
used for coastal protection and nature development
2) Sediment dynamics on sand nourishment locations
3) Rich revetments: Building for Nature on dikes
4) Tidal restoration projects
5) Transfer of knowledge by means of an expertise management
More information on research possibilities of this group: Carla Pesch cpesch@hz.nl
Please send application and motivation letters for assignments within the HZ to Carla Pesch. Motivation letters
are to be handed in preferably before February 2015.
KICK-STARTING BIODIVERSITY
The artificial placement of oyster shells in a reef form introduces a new large habitat available for other species
to exploit in a much more sudden manner than would be observed with the more gradual formation of natural
oyster reefs and their associated communities. The development of a community on an oyster reef is
dependent not only on the available habitat, but also on available food source and presence of moisture to
avoid desiccation.
The possibility of providing a ‘kick-start’ for the development of biodiversity, or increasing the speed of
development of biodiversity will be investigated by adding mussels (attached to rope or carpet) to gabions of
oyster shells and monitoring the development of the associated biodiversity over time. As a comparison you
will also investigate the biodiversity of natural oyster reefs in the area as a comparison and research the
literature. Furthermore you will monitor an experiment to investigate the effects of extra water retention in
gabions filled with oyster shells on the developing biodiversity.
Research type: field research, desk research.
Research level: Minor, Internship
Prerequisite: interest in ecology.
Customer: Anneke van den Brink
Period: semester 2, 2015

EXOTIC INVADERS (POSITION ALREADY FILLED)
The Oosterschelde has a high number of exotic species that arrived (among others) via the shellfish
aquaculture industry. The introduction of new hard substrates in the form of dykes and oyster reefs at the
Oesterdam is intended to help the developing ecosystem by providing new habitats to colonise. As these new
habitats begin completely empty, they also provide an equal starting line for both exotic and native species. It
is likely that the exotic and native species will compete for the new habitat and for food. Who will win?
In this project you will conduct a monitoring investigation of the artificial oyster reefs around the Oesterdam as
well as the natural oyster reefs to determine the ratio of exotic and native species of similar ecological niches,
thereby creating an indication of how the ecosystem is developing and of what species are likely to benefit
from the further addition of artificial oyster reefs to the Oosterschelde.
Furthermore you will gather, measure and compare the ratios of the crab community from both artificial and
natural oyster reefs with focus on the native crab Carcinus maenas and the exotic Hemigrapsus takanoi as
indicator species. You will use this data and that of a previous student project to draw conclusions about the
competition for shelter and food between the two species.
Research level: Final thesis
Prerequisite: interest in ecology.
Customer: Anneke van den Brink
Period: semester 2, 2014-15
QUANTIFYING BIOTIC EFFECTS ON SEDIMENT ERODIBILITY (POSITION ALREADY FILLED)
Coastal defense requirements in estuary depend on the wave energy reaching the shoreline. The latter is
affected by the bathymetry of the foreshore, requiring a good understanding of the erosional processes at the
foreshore. Overall, it is thus utmost important for coastal managers to have a good understanding of the
factors that determine the erodibility of sediments within estuaries, and particular the shallow inter-tidal
foreshore. Biological processes can have a major effect on sediment erodibility. Some organisms may enhance
the sediment stability, whereas other organisms enhance the erodibility. In this assignment, you will work on
determining the effect of benthic organisms on sediment erodibility. The study will include both flume
experiments and field experiments.
Research level: Internship, final thesis
Prerequisite: interest in ecology
Customer: Tjeerd Bouma and Anneke van den Brink

ARTIFICIAL OYSTER REEFS ON THE OESTERDAM SAFETY BUFFER PROJECT LOCATION (POSITION
ALREADY FILLED)
An Oyster is an ecosystem engineer which is able to change waves, currents and sedimentation patterns in
their vicinity. Nowadays we want to use these abilities in our advantage by building artificial oyster reefs. This
innovative solution can be used not only to protect dikes against wave action but also stabilize sand on sand
banks.
Recently 4 new oyster reefs were constructed at the “Oesterdam safety-buffer project” and it is going to be
your task to monitor not only the reef development but also their effects in the morphology of their
surroundings. For that you will evaluate the existing data and be responsible to collect new data. You will also
compare your results with similar researches. As the oyster reef Technology is still in the beginning your
results/work can be very important for improving the design of artificial oyster reefs.
Research type: field research, desk analysis with GIS or Matlab
Research level: Water management students and/or Civil engineering students; minor, internship or
graduation bachelor thesis project.
Prerequisite: Driver’s License; interest in ecology, morphology, and fluid dynamics
Customer: Matthijs Boersema and João Paiva; partner in RaakPro BwLN
SEDIMENT DYNAMICS OF THE OESTERDAM SAND NOURISHMENT (POSITION ALREADY FILLED)
The Eastern Scheldt is an important part of the Dutch delta for nature development, recreation and
aquaculture. Since the finalization of the storm surge barrier (1986), however, the Eastern Scheldt is suffering
from a sand deficit problem. This causes the sand banks to erode, which in its turn, has an effect on foraging
space and time for birds. Secondly the lower intertidal banks are less effective in buffering wave energy,
causing more wave exposure on the dykes.
Rijkswaterstaat (Dutch state authority for infrastructure) is looking for approaches to diminish the negative
effects of the sand deficit, described above. One of the solutions are sand nourishments. The “Oesterdam
safety-buffer project” is a large sand nourishment (300.000 m³) at the Oesterdam. It combines a sand
nourishment with artificial oyster reefs. Implementation in the field has been realized at the end of 2013.
In this assignment, you will monitor morphological changes in the most dynamic parts of the sand
nourishments and you will look at the forcing hydrodynamic components (waves, wind, water level, current).
Secondly you will determine the sediment transport directions at the nourishment. This information will give us
a better understanding of the morphological behavior and helps Rijkswaterstaat with designing future
nourishments at other locations.
Research type: Desk and field research, data processing
Research level: Civil engineering students or related fields; minor or internship.
Prerequisite: Interest in morphology and fluid dynamics, interest in data processing
Customer: Matthijs Boersema, João Salvador de Paiva
Period: semester 2 2014-15

CHANNEL DEVELOPMENT AT THE OESTERDAM NOURISHMENT (POSITION ALREADY FILLED)
The Eastern Scheldt is an important part of the Dutch delta for nature development, recreation and
aquaculture. Since the finalization of the storm surge barrier (1986), however, the Eastern Scheldt is suffering
from a sand deficit problem and the tidal flat area is decreasing due to wave actions.
Rijkswaterstaat (Dutch state authority for infrastructure and environment) is looking for approaches to
diminish the negative effects of the sand deficit. One of the solutions are local sand nourishments. The
“Oesterdam safety-buffer project” is a large sand nourishment (350.000 m³) at the Oesterdam. It combines a
sand nourishment with artificial oyster reefs. Implementation in the field has been realized at the end of 2013.
In the first year after placing the nourishment a channel developed at the landward side of the nourishment.
This channel drains the water from the tidal flat during low water and flow velocities are during ebb always
larger than during flood.
In this assignment you will evaluate digital elevation data with GIS from the last 1.5 year, focussing on the
channel width, channel depth and meander length development. Furthermore you will look at the
development of mouth bars at the end of the channel and calculate the transporting capacity based on existing
flow velocity measurements.
Research type: Desk research, data processing
Research level: Civil engineering students or related fields; minor or internship.
Prerequisite: Interest in morphology and fluid dynamics, interest in data processing
Customer: Matthijs Boersema, João Salvador de Paiva
LOBSTER COLONIZATION OF A RICH FORESHORE AT SCHELPHOEK, EASTERN SCHELDT (POSITION
ALREADY FILLED)
Until present, coastal defense systems in the Netherlands have mainly been designed from a civil engineering
perspective. They meet all criteria regarding safety and water management but have low nature values. Hard
defense systems like dikes can also be viewed as artificial rocky coasts and may be optimized to enhance
nature values and facilitate the growth of many species. This supports the multi-use of dikes e.g. by fishermen
fishing for lobster and by recreational divers. The design and construction of so-called ‘rich dikes’ is an example
of ‘Building for Nature’.
In autumn 2014, a new foreshore design was implemented by Rijkswaterstaat at a dike in the Eastern Scheldt
at Schelphoek, Schouwen-Duiveland. The design consists of a gravel layer that is partly covered by piles of
regular rubble and sandstone. Together with IMARES and Stichting Zeeschelp, the research group Building with
Nature at the HZ University of Applied Sciences will monitor the recolonization of this dike section by epifauna
and infauna for the coming three years. The aim is to study whether the design is effective and could be
applied in future foreshore reinforcements. As part of the monitoring the abundance of European lobsters
(Hommarus gammarus) will be estimated in cooperation with local fishermen. In this assignment, you will
study the colonization of the new foreshore by European lobsters in spring 2015.
Research type: Desk, laboratory and field research
Research level: Internship, Final thesis
Prerequisite: interest in aquatic ecology; prepared to do fieldwork at sea
Customer: Tim van Oijen

EFFECT OF RAINFALL ON RICH REVETMENTS (POSITION ALREADY FILLED)
Currently, dikes and foreshores are designed for flood protection, safety and sustainability. The Building for
Nature approach aims at innovating the design of these safety structures, thereby adding nature values. Dikes
with this type of additional structures are called rich dikes, or rich revetments. The addition of structures make
these dikes more of interest for other use, such as diving, fishing and aquaculture production.
In a first exploratory research, a number of biodiversity assessments of dikes at the Eastern Scheldt were
analyzed for the effect of vertical position, roughness and water retention on biodiversity.
In this research your assignment is to evaluate the effect of salinity on communities by performing salinity
measurements in the holes of the new block designs to see if rainfall has a major influence on the salinity.
Research type: Desk and field research;
Research level: Water management students and/or Civil engineering students; minor.
Prerequisite: Interest in ecology, driver license needed.
Customer: Tim van Oijen, João Salvador de Paiva
Period: semester 2 2014-15
OYSTER CULTURE ON DIKES
The main function of coastal defense systems is to protect the hinterland from the sea. However, revetments
may support other functions like recreation (diving, sunbathing), lobster fisheries, or aquaculture. In this
project you will investigate the possibility of culturing oysters at the toe of dikes.
The Pacific Oyster (Crassostrea gigas) has been cultivated in the Dutch Delta for many decades. Traditionally,
oysters are cultured on-bottom, recently new techniques are investigated like culture of oysters in the
intertidal zone in bags on tables, or in baskets. Juvenile oysters are put in bags or baskets and harvested once
they reach a certain size or weight. In this project, bags with oysters will be fixed on concrete blocks and placed
at the toe of dikes at different locations in the Eastern and Western Scheldt. The aim is to study whether the
conditions at the dike toe are suitable for oyster growth and to test if the culture design could be applied on a
larger scale.This project will be jointly supervised by the research groups Aquaculture in Delta Areas and
Building with Nature and will be carried out in cooperation with local fishermen.
The project will consist of:
-a literature study on the conditions needed for oyster growth (inundation time, turbidity, food supply);
-design of the experimental set-up, preparation of the oyster bags, labelling of oysters and placement in the
field;
-sampling of the oyster bags at six-week intervals: measurement of size and weight of individual oysters;
-data analysis, oral and written presentation of the results
Research type: Desk, laboratory and field research
Research level: Internship or minor
Prerequisite: Interest in aquaculture and aquatic ecology
Customer: Jacob Capelle, Anneke van den Brink

MULTIFUNCTIONAL DIKE USE IN THE SOUTH-WESTERN DELTA
Until present, coastal defence systems in the South-Western delta have mainly been designed from a civil
engineering perspective. These meet all criteria regarding safety but have low values for nature, recreation and
other shared-use.
The challenge in this assignment is to link the dike reinforcement with the development of other functions (e.g.
nature, tourism, aquaculture) around lake Volkerak-Zoom and the Eastern Scheldt. In this project you will
evaluate the possibilities of the dike enforcements for shared-use.
The project involves both an explorative research on the possibilities to combine the renewing of the dike
revetment with other functions as well as an ‘experimental’ research in which you will improve the design of a
specific dike revetment material (asphalt) for combining safety with at least nature values. This project will be
jointly supervised by the research groups Building with Nature and Safety & Spatial Planning.
Assignments: 1-2 student(s) for bachelor research minor / internship
Students: Students of Delta Management, Water Management, Land-use planning, civil engineering
Research type: Desk research, field research, research-by-design
Prerequisite: good analytical skills; communicative; out-of-the-box thinking
Interests: Water management, area development, civil engineering, ecology, tourism
Contact: Jonas Papenborg/Jean-Marie Buijs, Tjark van Heuvel, João Paiva
SALT MARSH DEVELOPMENT IN THE RAMMEGORS POLDER
In December 2014, the polder at Rammegors was opened to the Eastern Scheldt. This will create major changes
for the previously freshwater area. In this tidal restoration project, the initial development of the salt marsh
vegetation will be studied, to develop generic knowledge for future tidal restoration projects. Your assignment
is a collaboration between the Research Group Building with Nature and NIOZ, and will consist of an extensive
literature research on salt marshes and a field research on the availability and distribution of seed materials for
salt marsh development. The results of your literature research will also be used as input for the
DeltaExpertise-site, i.e. a wiki environment for knowledge and expertise relating to delta’s.
Research type: field research, literature research
Research level: bachelor internship, minor research
Prerequisite: interest in vegetation and ecology, driver’s licence
Customer: Tjeerd Bouma and Carla Pesch

INTERNSHIPS AND GRADUATION PROJECT OUTSIDE HZ
NIOZ ASSIGNMENTS: NIOZ prefers graduation over internships
IDENTIFYING THE RELATION BETWEEN THE TRAITS OF INTERTIDAL-ORGANISM AND THE
ECOSYSTEM SERVICES THEY PROVIDE: CARBON STORAGE, COASTAL PROTECTION AND
BIODIVERSITY
Intertidal landscapes are a harsh environment for both plants and animals. These organisms have to withstand
tidal flow, wind waves, anoxic soil conditions, flooding/drought-cycles, and many more stresses. Despite these
harsh environmental conditions, a wide range of organisms (plants, algae and benthic animals) inhabits the
tidal landscapes, each with their own specific adaptations that enable them to survive. Some of the organisms
are even able to modify their physical environment via their structures or activities, which is often referred to
as ecosystem engineering. Although the importance of ecosystem engineering for providing ecosystem services
is well recognized, the underlying mechanisms explaining how it works are still poorly understood, as it
requires an interdisciplinary approach.
We aim to understand which organism traits are most important for i) the ecosystem resilience and long-term
survival, ii) their ecosystem engineering effect on the intertidal landscape development and iii) ultimately the
ecosystem services they provide (carbon storage, coastal protection and biodiversity).
To answer this question, we combine field and laboratory studies, using state of the art techniques including
(wave) flumes, instruments to manipulate and measure mechanical properties of the organisms, various
chemical analyses, and many other techniques
Within this research theme we offer several topics, each with the opportunity to tune it towards your specific
interest. The possible topics will however strongly depend on the timing of the research.
Contact person: Tjeerd Bouma (tjeerd.bouma@nioz.nl)
DEVELOPING KNOWLEDGE TO PRESERVE AND RESTORE VALUABLE COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS: A
GLOBAL STUDY ON SEAGRASSES, MANGROVES AND SALT MARSHES
Coastal waters with healthy seagrass meadows, mangrove forests and salt marshes belong to the most
productive ecosystems in the world, and also have a high economical value. They provide food and shelter for
various organisms, including young life stages of various commercially important fish species. They contribute
to coastal protection and store considerable amounts of carbon. At this moment, seagrasses, mangroves and
salt marshes are rapidly disappearing on a global scale. Proper management requires a mixture of measures
aimed at maintaining existing ecosystems, restoring lost ecsoystems and mitigation measures for threatened
ecosystems. Experience has learned that such management measures will only be successful when based on
fundamental insight in the processes affecting these ecosystems. We want to contribute to preserving
seagrasses, mangroves and salt marshes, by dedicated research around the globe (i.e., the Netherlands,
Mediterranean, and tropical regions). We specifically aim at understanding basic mechanisms affecting the
establishment, growth and disappearance of these vegetation types, and to derive indicators and critical
threshold values that can be translated in management objectives.
The research is done by a combination of techniques, including field studies in exotic places, as well as studies
in the flume where we can control all environmental conditions, including current and flow.

BIOGEOMORPHIC LANDSCAPE FORMATION BY ECOSYSTEM ENGINEERS: GENERALIZING ACROSS
SPECIES BY UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF ORGANISM TRAITS (PLANTS, ALGAE AND BENTHOS)
Interactions between organisms and hydrodynamic forces from waves and currents determine where sediment
will erode, and where sediment will accumulate. Hence, these bio-physical interactions are a main determinant
of landscape formation (i.e., geomorphology) at intertidal areas.
Especially large (vascular) plants and macro algae have striking effects on intertidal geomorphology. In the
intertidal zones, a broad range of different types of plant and algae co-occur, that strongly differ in their
appearance (i.e., morphology) Such differences will affect how plants affect the currents and waves, and
thereby thus the sediment transport.
Besides plants, there is also a large group of benthic animals (i.e., macro benthos) that affect the landscape
formation. Some are highly visible in that they create large reefs, such as oysters and mussels (i.e., epi-
benthos). Others are invisible, as they are ‘hidden’ in the sediment (i.e., endo-benthos). Although hidden, these
organisms also have major impact on the sediment dynamics and grain-size distribution by affecting both the
critical threshold for erosion to occur and mixing different depth layers.
We are working on developing a general understanding how traits of individual organisms affect processes at
the level of populations and thereby affect the large-scale long-term intertidal landscape development.
PROVIDING A MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING HOW TO MAXIMIZE COMBINED NATURE AND
COASTAL PROTECTION GOALS
Ongoing accelerated sea-level rise, increased storm frequency and altered sediment dynamics, threaten
coastlines and estuarine ecosystems around the globe, imposing the need for new, cost effective defense
schemes. At the same time, many coastal ecosystems are currently threatened and declining, imposing the
need for nature conservation and restoration of coastal ecosystems. Restoration or creation of coastal
ecosystems offers promising opportunities for building cost-effective coastal defense schemes that enhance
nature goals. It is however unclear to which extent nature and efense goals are compatible or opposing.
We aim to unravel i) how to use intertidal ecosystems for coastal defense schemes, ii) how to maximize nature
goals and iii) how to integrate both aspects. We study this for coastal vegetation as well tidal flats with benthic
communities. Our studies integrate different scales, by combining both the local-scale (i.e., within an
ecosystem) and the landscape-scale (i.e., the connectivity between ecosystems and ecosystem compartments).
We aim at developing fundamental insights in the physical and biological drivers and interactions that can be
widely applied.
Contact person: Tjeerd Bouma (tjeerd.bouma@nioz.nl

RESEARCH ASSIGNMENTS WATER TECHNOLOGY
The research group water technology aims at development of applicable technologies for sustainable water
(re)use in a combined fresh/saline delta.
1) Recycling of surface and process water for industry, agriculture and aquaculture. Examples are reuse
of cooling tower blowdown, rainwater runoff and industrial wastewater.
2) Recovery of valuable content in waste water. Examples are acoustic particle filtering and nutrient
recovery.
3) Monitoring and control. Examples are monitoring and control of water filtration systems and control
of biofouling in water systems with ultrasound.
REUSE OF GREENHOUSE WASTEWATER
Greenhouses have a high water recycling rate, which means that small amounts of minerals and additives tend
to accumulate during recycling. At a certain point, water with highly concentrated compounds needs to be
discharged or treated. One of the accumulated compounds are nutrients and pesticides. The aim is to find
adequate solutions to pesticide removal and nutrient reuse from wastewater and possibly determine whether
degraded pesticides remain toxic.
A second topic in this field is disinfection of recycled water in order to remove viruses, fungi and diseases
(pathogens) before reuse. A pilot installation based on ultraviolet/ultrasound (UV/US) will be employed on the
spot to disinfect the water. Several microbiological analysis methods will be used to detect pathogen removal.
Research type: literature study and experiments
Research level: minor, internship or graduation
Prerequisite: interest in chemistry and biology
Customer: Lans, Tuinbouwschap, Waterboard, municipalities
Contact: Tessa Steenbakker, Niels Groot
ENHANCING THE BIODEGRADABILITY OF COOLING TOWER BLOWDOWN USING ADVANCED
OXIDATION PROCESSES
Reuse of industrial water is becoming increasingly important in order to reduce the water footprint. Cooling
tower blowdown is a tough, but interesting source of water, because it is widely available from process
industry and power companies. Blowdown contains various persistent, yet organic substances, which can
hardly be treated with biological wastewater processes. The aim is to study a combination of advanced
oxidation processes (ozone, UV ultrasound) and biological treatment before reuse.
Research type: experiments
Research level: graduation
Prerequisite: interest in chemistry and (micro)biology
Customer: Centre of Expertise Delta Technology, Dow Benelux, AWWS
Contact: Tessa Steenbakker, Niels Groot

REUSE OF PROCESS WATER AND WATER CONTENTS FROM POTATO INDUSTRY
During processing of potatoes various wastewater streams have possibilities for reuse. An inventory has
already been made of the various streams and their quality. The next step in this process is the inventory of
partial process streams (internship) and investigation of reuse possibilities. Additionally, reuse possibilities of
(partly digested) fatty acids should be studied in more detail (graduation).
Research type: inventory of possibilities and experiments
Research level: internship & graduation (linked)
Prerequisite: good understanding of chemistry and interest in biology
Customer: Centre of Expertise Delta Technology, Lamb-Weston/Meijer
Contact: Hans Cappon
RECHARGE OF AGRICULTURAL WATER SUPPLY WITH PURIFIED WASTEWATER
Wastewater from food processing industry is generally food or feed grade, which means that it contains no
toxic contaminants, but might incorporate nutrients and biodegradable matter (BOD). The aim of this study is
to make an inventory of various waste streams in multiple food industries to determine the fitness for use as,
for instance, agricultural water supply. Secondly, if the quality is inadequate, solutions for treatment should be
provided.
Research type: inventory of water quality and possibilities for treatment
Research level: minor or internship
Prerequisite: interest in water analysis and treatment (chemical, physical, biological)
Customer: Centre of Expertise Delta Technology, Foodport
Contact: Niels Groot
OPERATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ULTRAFILTRATION PROCESSES
In 2013 we have installed an ultrafiltration unit in the SEALab of HZ, which is used for onsite water purification.
The aim is to determine which parameters are of influence to the filtration process. Flush times, air scouring
and filtration run times are parameters to be evaluated on different types of feed water.
Research type: experiments
Research level: minor or internship
Prerequisite: good understanding of physics
Customer: HZ-DA Water Technology and Evides Water Company
Contact: Hans Cappon

INTERNSHIPS AND GRADUATION PROJECTS OUTSIDE HZ
PILOT PLANT HARNASCHPOLDER ( DELFT, THE HAGUE), EVIDES & VEOLIA & ROSSMARK
In 2009 a pilot plant at the Harnaschpolder WWPT was constructed to explore the possibilities of advanced
treatment of WWTP effluent for the suppletion of fresh surface water, aquifer recharge and to provide an
alternative source for greenhouse water. Advanced treatment of WWTP effluent is required to reach surface
water quality at maximum tolerable risk standard (MTR) level, a guideline for surface water quality of the Dutch
government, and to produce greenhouse water. The objective of the pilot research is to demonstrate that
surface water and greenhouse water can be produced from WWTP effluent at a reliable and cost effective way.
Various technologies are used for water treatment.
Contact: Hans Cappon, Justina Racyte (Evides)
DETERMINING THE OPTIMUM PROCESS CONDITIONS FOR PRETREATMENT AND NF FOR MILD
DESALINATION (DOW BENELUX, EVIDES)
At the production site DECO a pilot will be built for the partial desalination of 3 different water streams: cooling
tower blow down, spuikom water (surface water) and effluent from the waste water plant of Dow. The main
aim is to reduce the conductivity to 1 mS/cm. The pilot consists of a pre-treatment (coagulation, lamella
sedimentation, ultrafiltration) and 2 different desalination techniques: NF (nanofiltration) and EDR (Electro
Dialysis Reversal). This internship will focus on the pretreatment by UF and one the desalination techniques, i.e.
NF. Aspects considered are the Key Performing Indicators to monitor fouling, specific energy use and water
quality.
Contact: Niels Groot, Wilbert van den Broek (Evides)
Period: Semester 2 – 2014/2015
DOW BENELUX BV
Inventory of various water systems with a high sensitivity for contamination with Legionella bacteria. Focus
areas are the growth accelerating properties and possibility to select a specific system to define a suitable
problem identification and follow-up plan.
Contact: Niels Groot (Dow/HZ) – (www.careersatdow.com)
WETSUS
Wetsus Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Water Technology in Leeuwarden is the largest research centre in
the Netherlands. They have many research assignments in various fields from physics to biology and everything
in between. Please consult the Wetsus website (www.wetsus.nl) and click on “PhD positions” -> “Graduation
and internships” for more information.
WATERSCHAP SCHELDESTROMEN – STAGE/AFSTUDEREN (NEDERLANDS), WISSELENDE
ONDERWERPEN
WATERHOUDERIJ WALCHEREN – STAGE/AFSTUDEREN (NEDERLANDS), WISSELENDE
ONDERWERPEN

RESEARCH GROUP WATER SAFETY & SPATIAL
PLANNING
The research group Water Safety and Spatial Planning is aimed at a multiannual programme Resilient Deltas. In
this programme we explore the nature of community resilience in relation with multiple interrelated systems,
facilitating and development of instruments to build community resilience, and to longitudinal monitor
community resilience and its effects. Water safety and spatial planning are core elements in our approach, but
our research also includes elements of critical infrastructure, economic development, social capital and
governance. Within this field of research we focus on the well-being of people living within delta areas.
The research programme offers several opportunities for students with interest in issues related to community
resilience, safety, water systems and spatial planning. We are open to students from a broad range of
disciplines who are eager to join us in this endeavour of applied science. We are especially interested in social
engaged students with good analytical capabilities and communicative skills, who take responsibility and like to
work in a team of fellow students. An overview of the open assignments for next semester are published
below.
1) Assignment Professionals and Self-reliant Citizens
2) Community Resilience in relation to Critical Infrastructure and Economic Drivers (2 assignments)
3) Area development in ‘Waterpoort’ in relation to regional resilience (4 assignments)
4) Flood Resilient Areas by Multilayer Safety (and other final thesis project at partner organizations)
Application + motivation for the projects need to be handed in preferably before February 2015. The research
group can accommodate up to 8 students, so a quick and deliberate application is recommended. Please send
your application and motivation letters to Jean-Marie Buijs: jm.buijs@hz.nl and Jonas Papenborg:
jonas.papenborg@hz.nl
ASSIGNMENT PROFESSIONALS AND SELF-RELIANT CITIZENS (COE PROJECT 2014-2016)
The CoE project ‘Professionals and self-reliant citizens’ is aimed at development of practical knowledge about
co-creating safety and to apply this within communities in the south-western delta. This is established by
learning safety professionals to deal with self-reliance, by improving alignment between professionals, citizens
and other societal actors, and by sustainable consolidation of applied knowledge and capabilities. In this study
flood risks are used as a main scenario for disturbances in relation to community resilience.
For this project, it is essential to have insight in the basic perception and action strategies of citizens,
businesses, professionals and governments in relation to flood risks. The student is asked to conduct a baseline
measurement about self-reliance within the municipality of Veere. In this project you will be working together
with researchers from the research group and professionals from the Safety Region Zeeland (regional crisis
management organization). The aim of your project is to construct and conduct a questionnaire to measure risk
perception (awareness) and self-reliance of local communities. Via basic statistics you will perform an analysis
about the baseline of risk perception and self-reliance. The study will be embedded in a longitudinal monitor
about self-reliance and co-creating safety in the Resilient Deltas programme.
Assignments: 1 students for bachelor research minor / internship / final thesis
Students: Students of Delta Management, Water Management, Social Work,
Research type: questionnaire, statistical analysis, field research
Prerequisite: good analytical skills; basic understanding of statistics and ability to apply; specific interest in
social sciences and water safety; Dutch language;
Customer: Research group Water Safety and Spatial Planning (in alignment with Safety Region Zeeland)
Contact: Jean Marie Buijs (jm.buijs@hz.nl)

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE
Critical infrastructure are assets essential for the continuity of vital societal functions, health, safety, security,
economic or social well‐being of people, and the disruption or destruction of which would have a significant
impact in a community as a result of the failure to maintain those functions. Critical infrastructure are the
businesses and parts of the government, which deliver products and services that are essential to the daily lives
of most people in the Netherlands. The critical infrastructure at national level is divided into 12 key sectors with
a total of 31 essential products and services. Studies by the research group have delivered new insights in
critical infrastructure at local and regional scales.
In this assignment the student is asked to conduct research for a clear understanding of the relation between
community resilience and critical infrastructure at different spatial and governance scales. Subsequently, the
student is assigned to map the structure and networks of critical infrastructure for a local community in the
Southwest Delta. The student will give recommendations to improve (an aspect of) the critical infrastructure
for this specific community. Finally the student is asked to provide insight in which indicators can be used to
monitor critical infrastructure as a subsystem of resilient communities.
Assignments: 1 assignments for bachelor research minor / internship
Student: Delta Management, Water Management, Civil Engineering, De Ruyter Academy and students from
abroad
Research type: literature and desk research, case study, field research (interviews, observations)
Prerequisite: good analytical skills; specific interest in critical infrastructure and crises management
Customer: Research group Watersafety and Area Development,
COMMUNITY RESILIENCE AND ECONOMIC DRIVERS
Economic resilience refers to the inherent and adaptive responses to hazards that enable individuals and
communities to avoid some potential losses. It can take place at the level of the firm, household, market or
macroeconomy. In contrast to the pre event character of mitigation, economic resilience emphasizes ingenuity
and resourcefulness applied during and after an event. It focusses on the fact that individuals and organizations
do not simply react passively or in a business as usual manner in the face of a disaster. According to OECD
economic resilience may be loosely defined as the ability to maintain output close to potential in the aftermath
of shocks. Hence, it comprises at least two dimensions; the extent to which shocks are dampened and the
speed with which economies revert to normal following a shock. From a community resilience perspective, a
certain degree of economic diversification, continual renewing of local economy, fit with the local/regional
community and business continuity are considered important.
In this assignment the student is asked to conduct research for a clear understanding of the relation between
community resilience and economic drivers. This can be done by studying international cases of areas that have
suffered from major disasters analysing economic consequences and measures. Subsequently, the student is
assigned to map the structure and networks of economic drivers for a local community in the Southwest Delta.
The student will give recommendations to improve the economic drivers for this specific community, based on
the insights from resilience. Finally the student is asked to provide insight in which indicators can be used to
monitor economy as a subsystem of resilient communities.
Assignments: 1 assignments for bachelor research minor / internship
Student: Delta Management, Economy, International Business and Languages and students from abroad
Research type: literature and desk research, case study, field research (interviews, observations)
Prerequisite: good analytical skills; specific interest in crises management and economics
Customer: Research group Watersafety and Area Development

ASSIGNMENTS WATERPOORT
(ECONOMIC) CONSEQUENCES FOR RECREATION ENTREPRENEURS, BY THE SALINIZATION AND THE
RETURN OF TIDES AT LAKE VOLKERAK-ZOOM
After the construction of the ‘Deltaworks’ lake Volkerak-Zoom turned into a fresh water lake. This had major
consequences for the ecological well-being of the lake since the area is characterized by extensive blooms of
toxic algae. To fight the ecological problems in lake Volkerak-Zoom strategies are developed to turn the lake
back into a salt state as well to bring back tides. However such an intervention requires major adjustments
along the borders of the lake, as, for instance, the closure of (recreational) sluices, modification of the
agricultural water system and adaptations to ensure the migration of fish species.
In this project you will investigate the (economical) consequences of an salt lake Volkerak-Zoom and the return
of tides for the surrounding areas. By the selection of a case study, defined during the research, you will
investigate the possibility of a local entrepreneur or institution to mitigate the consequences of adjustments
for recreation. The results of the study will be integrated in the ‘Atlas of Waterpoort’.
Students: Students of Delta Management, Water Management, Land-use planning
Research type: desk research, field research, research-by-design
Prerequisite: good analytical skills; communicative; creative, out-of-the-box thinking
Interests: Water management, area development, economy, ecology, agriculture
Customer: Waterpoort
Contact: Jonas Papenborg (Jonas.papenborg@hz.nl)
(ECONOMIC) CONSEQUENCES FOR FARMERS, BY A CHANGING WATERSYSTEM
In this project you will investigate the (economical) consequences of an changing water system for the farmers
in the Waterpoort region. By the selection of a case study, defined during the research, you will investigate the
possibility of a farmer to mitigate or adapt to the new situation. The results of the study will be integrated in
the ‘Atlas of Waterpoort’.
Assignments: 1 student for bachelor research minor / internship
Students: Students of Delta Management, Water Management, Land-use planning

(ECOLOGIC) CONSEQUENCES FOR NATURE ORGANISATIONS, BY A CHANGING WATERSYSTEM
In this project you will investigate the (economical) consequences of changing water system for nature
organizations. By the selection of a case study, defined during the research, you will investigate the possibility
of a nature organization to change its nature management plan into a new situation. The results of the study
will be integrated in the ‘Atlas of Waterpoort’.
Assignments: 1 student for bachelor research minor / internship
Students: Students of Delta Management, Water Management
EXPERIENCE OF THE INUNDATION AREAS OF THE SOUTH-WESTERN WATER LINE
The area Waterpoort has an rich history of fortifications, fortified cities and defense lines. These fortifications
are inspiring places for new initiatives. And although each fortification is interesting on its own, the
development of the whole fortification system offers new opportunities for the whole area. Therefore the
project partners of Waterpoort try to enhance the visibility and experience of the defense line.
In this project you will investigate the possibilities to enhance the experience of the former defense line. Base
on literature study on comparable projects (Dutch Water Line, Fortification of Amsterdam, The States-Spanish
Lines) you will make a strategy to enhance the visibility of the South-Western water line with a special focus on
the role of the water and the integration with other forms of land use. The results of the study will be
integrated in the ‘Extended Atlas of Waterpoort’.
Students: Students of Delta Management, Water Management, Land-use planning, Tourism & Leisure
Interests: Tourism, cultural history, area development, landscape architecture

MULTIFUNCTIONAL DIKE USE IN THE SOUTH-WESTERN DELTA
Until present, coastal defence systems in the South-Western delta have mainly been designed from a civil
engineering perspective. These meet all criteria regarding safety but have low values for nature, recreation and
other shared-use.
The challenge in this assignment is to link the dike reinforcement with the development of other functions (e.g.
nature, tourism, aquaculture) around lake Volkerak-Zoom and the Eastern Scheldt. In this project you will
evaluate the possibilities of the dike enforcements for shared-use.
The project involves both an explorative research on the possibilities to combine the renewing of the dike
revetment with other functions as well as an ‘experimental’ research in which you will improve the design of a
specific dike revetment material (asphalt) for combining safety with at least nature values. This project will be
jointly supervised by the research groups Building with Nature and Safety & Spatial Planning.
Students: Students of Delta Management, Water Management, Land-use planning, civil engineering
Research type: Desk research, field research, research-by-design
Prerequisite: good analytical skills; communicative; out-of-the-box thinking
Interests: Water management, area development, civil engineering, ecology, tourism
Contact: Jonas Papenborg/Jean-Marie Buijs, Tjark van Heuvel, João Paiva

FINAL THESIS PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES AT PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
ASSIGNMENT FLOOD RESILIENT AREAS BY MULTILAYER SAFETY (FINAL THESIS AT SAFETY REGION)
Rising sea level and climate change ask for new flood management strategies in the countries along the North
Sea. The Multi-Layered Safety concept is a general policy concept for flood management in the Netherlands. It
is an integrated concept which includes three layers: the conventional flood prevention (1), spatial solutions
(2), crisis management (3). Even though the Multi-Layered Safety concept is the general policy concept in the
Netherlands, sufficient specific local and practical knowledge to make local choices and actually enable its
application is lacking. To improve the application, the Safety Region of Zeeland proposes a 4th
layers needs to
be included in the Multi-Layered Safety approach: recovering the consequences of floods. The issue of is one
of the themes on the research agenda for a diversity of governments in the Southwest Delta and the research
group of Water Safety and Spatial Planning.
In this research you will conduct an exploratory research on the 4th layer of water safety in relation to the
Dutch Multi-layered safety approach. Research questions to be answered are: How long does it take for the
"normal life" is back? Can all functions be recovered? Are the governance networks not only able to take the
necessary measures for recovery, but are they also capable to learn from the effects and consequences of
floods?
Possible activities for this thesis assignment are an inventory of possible measures in the 2nd
and 3rd
layer with
positive effects for recovery after a flood, based on international best practices; analysing the characteristics of
pilot areas in the Southwest Delta; provide recommendations for a specific measure in a pilot area, including a
cost benefit analysis. Possible measures could be a research about the raising and strengthening a road to
make an area sooner accessible for crisis management and recovery assistance after a flood; how the spatial
planning of districts can contribute to reduce the damage of floating matter (cars, trees etc.)
Assignments: 1 graduation student
Students: Students of Delta Management, Water Management, Economy, and students from abroad
Research type: literature and desk research, case study
Prerequisite: good analytical skills; specific motivation for water safety in relation to society and crises
management; communicative
Customer: Safety Region Zeeland (in alignment with Research group Water Safety and Spatial Planning)
Contact: Marcel Matthijsse (m.matthijsse@vrzeeland.nl), Jean Marie Buijs (jm.buijs@hz.nl)
Please contact Marcel Matthijsse and Jean-Marie Buijs before 12-12-2014
OTHER FINAL THESIS PROJECTS OPPORTUNITIES AT PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS
The research group has contacts with several partner organizations about final thesis projects in line with the
Resilient Deltas programme. The assignment above (Safety Region) in an example of this. The following
opportunities are currently being explored:
 ‘Area utilization by a variety actors in relation to transitions in the water system’ (Province of
Noord-Brabant / Waterpoort)
 ‘Improving regional flood defenses in alignment with a diversity of stakeholders’ (Waterboard
Brabantse Delta).
For more information about these opportunities, please contact Jean-Marie Buijs (jm.buijs@hz.nl) and Jonas
Papenborg (Jonas.papenborg@hz.nl)

Research portfolio delta_academy_s2_2014_2015

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