Linking hydrology and land use

Linking hydrology and land use – Theme 6, Knowledge for Climate research programme

Climate change will most likely lead to changes in the hydrological system in the Netherlands and the Rhine-Meuse basin due to changes in precipitation and evaporation. In addition socio-economic developments will lead to changes in land use and thus in the local amount of sealed surface and the location of, for example, agricultural and natural areas. These land-use related changes will in turn affect the hydrological system by a.o. changes in groundwater recharge and use and runoff to rivers. Alternatively, changes in the availability and quality of groundwater influence the local potential for spatial development. Also spatial development in flood hazard areas will affect the flood risk in future. A coupling of hydrologic and land use models would allow a more integrated assessment of the feedbacks between climatic and socio-economic changes and could thus assist in a better informed spatial planning.

As part of the Part of the ’Knowledge for Climate programme’ this project aims to establish a coupling between hydrologic and land-use models to allow a better functioning of the models individually and provide the potential to simulate feedbacks between hydrologic and societal processes. That would us to answer questions such as: will an increase in sealed surface under future climatic conditions lead to a further lowering of the groundwater table of the higher sandy soils in our country (hotspot dry rural areas) and thus worse conditions for nature or agriculture.

This project will be carried out in close cooperation with Deltares and is part of the ’Climate projections’ theme led by the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute. Research activities will focus on the following main tasks:

1. Model coupling land use and hydrological modelling systems;
2. Error propagation and uncertainty analysis;
3. Scenario development and analysis

For more information, download the project outline from the proposal or download the project leaflet.

Publications related to Linking hydrology and land use

Agricultural Systems	Diogo, V., Koomen, E., Kuhlman, T., An economic theory-based explanatory model of agricultural land-use patterns: The Netherlands as a case study, Agricultural Systems, 139, pp.1-16, 2015.
	Diogo, V., Koomen, E., Simulating the adoption of alternative climate adaptation strategies in Dutch arable farming systems under uncertainty and costly land-use reversibility, Abstract and presentation at the International Land Use Symposium (ILUS), November 11-13 2015, Dresden, Germany. 2015.
UNIGIS MSc thesis	Schaeffer,M., De invloed van het veranderend landgebruik op de hydrologie, Master thesis UNIGIS MSc in Geographical Information Science, VU University, Amsterdam, 2014.
	Diogo, V., Koomen, E., Kuhlman, T., Explaining and simulating current patterns of agricultural land use in the Netherlands, Abstract and presentation at the European Regional Science Association Conference August 27-31th, Palermo, Italy, 2013.
	Diogo, V., Koomen, E., Witte, F., Schaap, B., Understanding the spatial distribution of agricultural land use in view of climate-driven hydrological changes. Expert Pool Report Knowledge for Climate (KfC) research programme. Theme 6: High-quality Climate Projections, VU University, Amsterdam, 2013.
	Diogo, V., Kuhlman, T., Koomen, E., Exploring the potential of reed as a bioenergy crop in the Netherlands, in: Book of abstracts. International conference on the utilization of wetland plants: reed as a renewable resource, Greifswald, Germany, February 14-16, 2013.
Biomass and Bioenergy	Kuhlman, T., Diogo, V., Koomen, E., Exploring the potential of reed as a bioenergy crop in the Netherlands, Biomass and Bioenergy, 55, pp.41-52, 2013.
Intech	Koks, E.E., de Moel, H., Koomen, E., Comparing extreme rainfall and large-scale flooding induced inundation risk; evidence from a Dutch case-study. Chapter 1, in: Kumarasamy, M. (eds.), Studies on water management issues, Intech, Rijeka, 2012.
	Lassche, M.R., Diogo, V., Schaeffer, M., Koomen, E., Coupling land-use and hydrological modelling systems. Poster presented at Knowledge for Climate Midterm assessment Conference, Amsterdam, the Netherlands, October 4, 2012.
Springer	Van Leeuwen, E.S., Koomen, E., Adapting urban land use in a time of climate change; Optimising future land-use patterns to decrease flood risks. Chapter 2, in: Lal, R., Augustin, B. (eds.), Carbon Sequestration in Urban Ecosystems, Springer, Dordrecht, 2012.
	Bessembinder, J., Schaap, B., Reidsma, P., Witte, F., Elsman, J., Jacobs-Crisioni, C.G.W., Verboom, J., van Bodegom, P., Improving access to data on climate change and its impacts, in: Kabat, P., Vellinga, P. (eds.), Poster abstract Scientific Programme Deltas in Depth, International conference Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 29 September-1 October, 2010.
	van Hussen, K., Wateroverlast in stedelijk gebied ten gevolge van extreme neerslag; een quickscan voor de intrinsieke gevoeligheid voor wateroverlast, Bachelor thesis Earth and Economics, VU University Amsterdam, 2010. Remarks: Supervisor: Koomen, E.
	Verhagen, S., De optimale huisvestingslocatie van Nederland. Wanneer agglomeratievoordelen en overstromingsrisico’s tegen elkaar worden afgewogen., Bachelor thesis Earth and Economics, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, 2010. Remarks: Supervisor: Mulder, P.