NCR is the leading cooperative alliance between all major Dutch institutes for river studies. We integrate knowledge, facilitate discussion and promote excellent science.
Fluvial morphology and hydrological processes
The Physical Geography department of Utrecht University has many years of experience in river studies. Research themes focus on fluvial morphology and hydrological processes at different spatial and temporal scales.
At the scale of the river delta the focus is on the dynamics of sedimentation. Using a database containing detailed information from 200,000 boreholes, a reconstruction of the Holocene paleogeograohy of the Rhine-Meuse delta has been established. Research on contemporary processes includes sediment transport within the river channel, channel morphology, overbank sedimentation and the deposition of pollutants on the floodplain.
At the river basin scale, the discharge of water, sediment, nutritients and pollutants, and the boundary conditions controlling these processes are studied using GIS-embedded models. The River Rhine functions as a laboratory river for research, but other rivers in Europe and in various other parts of the world are studied as well.
Contact Details
Representative in the NCR Supervisory Board:
prof. dr. H. Middelkoop
email: h.middelkoop@uu.nl
Representatives in the NCR Programme Committee:
dr. M.W. Straatsma
m.w.straatsma@uu.nl