Newsletter Amsterdam Water Science
	Monday, 11 September 2017
	AWS NEWS   Recent hurricanes in the Caribbean and US demand Dutch approach In the past weeks, hurricanes Harvey and Irma have caused vast damages. Researchers at the Vrije Universiteit study the consequences of storms in coastal areas and have analysed the economic value of Dutch approaches to limit such damages in the future.   Jampel Dell'Angelo appointed Assistant Professor at IVM Jampel Dell'Angelo has been appointed Assistant Professor in Water Governance at the Institute for Environmental Studies (IVM). He is an environmental social scientist interested in the political economy of natural resources, in particular water.   Festive opening Research Vessel R.V. Dreissena Friday 14 July was the festive opening of the research vessel R.V. Dreissena. The ship will be used by the Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) to carry out research on Lake Markermeer.   AWS RESEARCH   SponGES team makes two research cruises in the Arctic Researchers part of the European project SponGES have had a busy summer performing experiments on two research cruises and in lab facilities in Bergen (Norway). A team of researchers and students report from the field.   Increase in carbon emissions from Dutch peatlands Climate change causes carbon emissions from peatlands to increase, yet the Netherlands are required to decrease peat emissions by a third after 2021. Earth scientist Ko van Huissteden is one of the researchers working on this issue.   Using Twitter to locate floods PhD researcher Jens de Bruijn uses Twitter to determine the location of floods. The new approach can help first-responders react quicker in case of emergency. Earlier this month, he tested the system for use by the Red Cross in the Philippines.   EDUCATION   SENSE Workshop on Water Scarcity Research School SENSE organised a workshop on water scarcity. The invited speakers provided different perspectives on water scarcity taking a physical, economic and insurance point of view.    Hydrology student Nick Roos reports on erosion in Bonaire Student Nick Roos is studying erosion on Bonaire around the capital of Kralendijk. Other students will continue the measurements in the coming years.   KNOWLEDGE SHARING   EyeonWater app involves the public in water science Remote sensing expert Hans van der Woerd and colleagues have developed an app that makes it possible for citizens to assess water quality. The app is called EyeOnWater and is freely accessible to anyone who wants to contribute.   Waternet offers masterclass series for teachers This fall, Waternet organises a series of masterclasses for high school level teachers. Amsterdam Water Science's Jeroen Aerts and Pim de Voogt are guest lecturers.   HIGHLIGHTED PUBLICATIONS   The Global Water Grabbing Syndrome Jampel Dell'Angelo and colleagues review the phenomenon of 'water grabbing'. They explore the biophysical and ethical implications of 'blue' water grabbing, and examine to what extent it is an inherent part of large-scale land acquisitions associated with trans-national investments in agriculture.   Policy Experiments for Climate Adaptation To explore climate adaptation options, water managers conduct policy experiments. Belinda McFadgen and Dave Huitema study the role of 'learning' in such experiments. Their findings show a trade-off between experimental design and different types of learning.   Climate variability linked to extreme floods in Europe A study by climate researcher Gabriela Guimarães Nobre and colleagues shows that large-scale natural climate variability is linked to extreme rainfall and flood occurrence in large areas of Europe. This study is one of the first connecting the influence of large-scale climate variability to flood damage.   Future costs and benefits of river-flood protection A study by climate researcher Philip Ward and colleagues assesses the costs and benefits of river flood protection for all countries and states in the world. The study shows that investments in flood protection may be economically attractive for reducing risk in large parts of the world, but not everywhere.
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