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 Transport of multiple Escherichia coli strains in saturated porous media
George Lutterodt (2012); PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 148 pp.
The deviation of bacteria transport and deposition patterns on grains in porous media from theory has resulted in the inability to accurately predict transport distances in aquifers, with consequences of polluting drinking water sources (springs, boreholes and wells). Due to the importance of Escherichia coli (E. coli) as an indicator of faecal contamination of drinking water supplies, this thesis research focused on their transport in saturated porous media. The objectives were to (i) study inter-strain and intra-strain attachment variability among multiple E. coli strains, (ii) characterize the distribution of sticking efficiencies within cell populations (iii) develop a methodology to measure minimum values of sticking efficiencies, and (iv) to assess the contribution of various cell properties on bacterial attachment to quartz grains. Most of this research was carried out under laboratory conditions (e.g. column and batch experiments), but a part of this work focused on the transport characteristics of E. coli strains isolated at the termination point of groundwater flow lines (springs) in Kampala, Uganda. The underlying hypothesis was that transport by a group of E. coli strains could possibly be characterized by a similar set of transport parameters.
Dynamics in groundwater and surface water quality – From field-scale processes to catchment-scale models
Ype van der Velde (2011); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 176 pp.
Present & Future – Visualising ideas of water infrastructure design
Martine Poolman (2011); PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 256 pp.
In redevelopment and redesign of small water structures local water governing institutions are increasingly required to and requesting that the planning processes are set up in a participatory manner. Decision making processes that are set-up to be participatory require stakeholders with different backgrounds, ideas, experiences and expertise to come together. Ideally they work collectively towards finding a solution to a problem situation. Because of their differences stakeholders often have different ideas about the problem situation and about the ways to solve it. Discussions take place and ideas are expressed in words or text as each stakeholder tries to explain his view of the situation and possible solution. Horace, however, wrote that »the mind is more slowly stirred by the ear than by the eye«. Visuals could provide a better understanding of a subject than words alone could. This PhD research looks at enabling stakeholders to make and use two-dimensional, still (non-moving) visuals to help identify which differences and similarities there are in stakeholders’ ideas of the problem situation and possible solutions. The main objective of this research was to design a methodology which enables stakeholders to make and use visuals to communicate their ideas about redevelopment and maintenance of small water structures.
Optimisation of monitoring networks for water systems
– Information theory, value of information, and public participation
José Leonardo Afonso Segura (2010); PhD thesis UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft, 200 pp.
Monitoring networks provide data that is analysed to help managers make informed decisions about their water systems. Their design and evaluation have a number of challenges that must be resolved, among others, the restriction on having a limited number of monitoring devices. This book presents innovative methods to design and evaluate monitoring networks. The main idea is to maximise the performance of water systems by optimising the information content that can be obtained from monitoring networks. This is done through the combination of models and two theoretical concepts: Information Theory, initially developed in the field of communications, and Value of Information, initially developed in the field of economics. Additionally, the possibility of using public participation to gather information with mobile phones to improve models is also explored in the research. The results of this research demonstrate that monitoring networks can be evaluated and designed by considering new variables, such as the information content, the user of the information and the potential of current mobile phones for data collection.
The role of interception in the hydrological cycle
Miriam Gerrits (2010); PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 146 pp.
Effect of climate change on temperate forest ecosystems
Reinder Brolsma (2010); PhD thesis, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 160 pp
In temperate climates groundwater can have a strong effect on vegetation, because it can influence the spatio-temporal distribution of soil moisture and therefore water and oxygen stress of vegetation. Current IPCC climate projections based on CO2 emission scenarios show a global temperature rise and change in precipitation regime, which will affect hydrological and vegetation systems. This thesis provides a quantitative framework for studying eco-hydrology in groundwater influenced temperate ecosystems. This study shows that quantifying and understanding the response of temperate forest ecosystems to climate change requires combined physically-based hydrological and bio-physically-based vegetation models.
Climate-proof and process-based relationships between water, oxygen and vegetation
Ruud Bartholomeus (2010); PhD thesis, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 128 pp.
In order to improve vegetation predictions for the future climate, process-based and climate-proof relationships between site factors and vegetation are needed. This thesis addresses the development of climate-proof relationships between soil moisture conditions and vegetation, and shows that the use of correlative, indirect relationships between site factors and vegetation should be discouraged. The effect of climate change on moisture-related plant stresses is complex; both wet and dry extremes may be affected, and conditions that are not present under the current climatic conditions could occur in the future. In order to capture such effects, climate-dependent processes that directly affect vegetation should be analysed. By providing such analysis, this research contributes to one of the required improvements of habitat distribution models.
The role of macropore flow from PLOT to catchment scale – A study in a semi-arid area
Loes van Schaik (2010); PhD thesis, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 174 pp.
Desertification and landscape degradation is a worldwide problem, which is expected to grow in time due to unsustainable land use and climate change. In view of these problems, knowledge of the interaction between vegetation, soil moisture and surface runoff, with subsequent erosion risk is essential. This requires mapping of the spatial and temporal variability of infiltration and runoff production. The influence of preferential flow thereupon is nowadays widely recognized. Therefore in this thesis the role of preferential flow from plot scale to catchment scale on the hydrology is investigated, using field measurements and model applications.
Climatology of extreme rainfall from raingauges and weather radar
Aart Overeem (2009); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 144 pp.
Extreme rainfall events can have a large impact on society and can lead to loss of life and property. Therefore, a reliable climatology of extreme rainfall is of importance, for instance, for the design of hydraulic structures. Such a climatology can be obtained by abstracting maxima from long rainfall records. Subsequently, a probability distribution is fitted to the selected maxima, so that rainfall depths can be estimated for a chosen return period, which can be longer than the rainfall record. In this thesis, the Generalized Extreme Value (GEV) distribution is used to model annual rainfall maxima.
Computational Intelligence in Rainfall–Runoff Modeling
Nico de Vos (2009); PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 149 pp.
Anticipatory Water Management – Using ensemble weather forecasts for critical events
Schalk Jan van Andel (2009); PhD thesis, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft, 182 pp.
Day-to-day water management is challenged by meteorological extremes, causing floods and droughts. Often operational water managers are informed too late about these upcoming events to be able to respond and mitigate their effects, such as by taking flood control measures or even requiring evacuation of local inhabitants. Therefore, the use of weather forecast information with hydrological models can be invaluable for the operational water manager to expand the forecast horizon and to have time to take appropriate action. This is called Anticipatory Water Management.
Anticipatory actions may have adverse effects, such as when flood control actions turn out to have been unnecessary, because the actual rainfall was less than predicted. Therefore the uncertainty of the forecasts and the associated risks of applying Anticipatory Water Management have to be assessed. To facilitate this assessment, meteorological institutes are providing ensemble predictions to estimate the dynamic uncertainty of weather forecasts. This dissertation presents ways of improving the end-use of ensemble predictions in Anticipatory Water Management.
Satellite data as complementary information for hydrological modelling
Hessel Winsemius (2009); PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 186 pp.
Important variables such as rainfall, evaporation, radiation, soil moisture and water storage can nowadays be estimated on the basis of raw satellite observations. This thesis describes the development and application of methods that allow to combine the scarce data, available in poorly gauged catchments, with expert knowledge and modern satellite data, with the purpose to conceptualise, calibrate and validate hydrological models.
Effects of climate variability and land use change on the water budget of large river basins
Ruud Hurkmans (2009); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 196 pp.
Trends in groundwater quality in relation to groundwater age
Ate Visser (2009); PhD thesis, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 188 pp.
Terrestrial water storage change from temporal gravity variation
S. Hasan (2009); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 97 pp.
Hydrological now- and forecasting
J. M. Schuurmans (2008); PhD Thesis, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 154 pp.
Integration of operationally available remotely sensed and forecasted hydrometeorological variables into distributed hydrological models
Understanding Hydrological Processes in an Ungauged Catchment in sub-Saharan Africa
Marloes Mul (2009); PhD thesis, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft, 144 pp.
Ungauged catchments can be found in many parts of the world, but particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Information collected in a gauged catchment and its regionalisation to ungauged areas is crucial for water resources assessment. Especially farmers in semi-arid zones are in need of such information. Inter and Intra-seasonal rainfall variability is large in these areas, and farmers depend more and more on additional surface and groundwater resources for their crop production. As a result, understanding the key-hydrological processes, and determination of the frequencies and magnitudes of stream flows, is very important for local food production. This is particularly true for the ungauged Makanya catchment in Tanzania, which is the subject of this study.
Hillslope hydrological modeling
– The role of bedrock geometry and hillslope-stream interaction
K. Shahedi (2008); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 146 pp.
Spatial modelling of mountainous basins
– An integrated analysis of the hydrological cycle, climate change and agriculture
Walter Immerzeel (2008); PhD Thesis, Utrecht University, Utrecht, 145 pp.
The relation between geometry, hydrology and stability of complex hillslopes examined using low-dimensional
hydrological models
A. Talebi (2008); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 137 pp.
Global drought in the 20th and 21st centuries
– Analysis of retrospective simulations and future projections of soil moisture
J. Sheffield (2008); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 218 pp.
Hydrometeorological application of microwave links
– Measurement of evaporation and precipitation
H. Leijnse (2007); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 164 pp.
Soil moisture dynamics and land surface-atmosphere interaction
A.J. Teuling (2007); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 88 pp.
Regional crop yield forecasting using probalistic crop growth modelling and remote sensing data assimilation
A.J.W. de Wit (2007); PhD thesis, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 182 pp.
Actor analysis for water resources management – Putting the promise into practice
Leon Hermans (2005); PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 235 pp.
»The promise of actor analysis can only truly be fulfilled if water experts commit themselves to the exploration of new ways of supporting policy development, venturing along roads they have not travelled before.«
Patterns of groundwater quality – in sandy aquifers under environmental pressure
M.J.M. Vissers (2005); PhD Thesis Utrecht University, Utrecht, 142 pp.
Groundwater salinization processes in the coastal area of the Netherlands due to transgressions during the Holocene
V.E.A. Post (2004); PhD thesis, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, 138 pp.
The primary objective of Vincent Post’s thesis is to develop quantitative understanding of the processes that caused salinization of groundwater in the coastal area of the Netherlands during the Holocene under natural conditions.
Studies for regional groundwater quality monitoring
Hans Peter Broers (2002), PhD thesis Utrecht University, Utrecht, 229 pp.
 Satellite passive microwave surface moisture monitoring
B.T. Gouweleeuw (2000); PhD thesis, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, 184 pp.
Ben Gouweleeuw’s thesis investigates the interaction between land use change, climate variability and the regional hydrology in a semi-arid are ain Central Spain. The study has used passive microwave monitoring to investigate spatial variation in soil moisture and produced a model.
Groundwater flow in layered aquifers
C.J. Hemker (2000); PhD thesis, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, 143 pp.
Sedimentary Heterogeneity and Flow Towards a Well
Joost Herweijer (1997); PhD thesis, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 277 pp.
This dissertation addresses the problem of adequately describing the hydraulic behavior of a heterogeneous aquifer, specifically the flow towards a well. Typically for a subsurface problem, the quantity of available data versus the number of unknowns, is very limited. Therefore, an adequate hydrogeological description still encompasses a range of possible aquifer responses. Thus, a broad approach has been followed to obtain a more or less, reliable estimation of the range of possible aquifer responses within a limited spectrum of sedimentological options. This broad approach includes the following methods: sedimentological analysis; multi-well and single-well pumping tests; tracer experiments; geostatistics; and numerical modeling of groundwater flow. Any application of only one of these methods can lead to a strongly biased and erroneous estimate of the range of aquifer responses. Thus, this dissertation aims at integrating and combining several direct and indirect methods to identify the aquifer’s structure and to analyze the associated groundwater flow and solute transport behavior. The final objective of this research is to characterize a heterogeneous aquifer in order to better describe contaminant flow; many of the findings are also applicable to the recovery of oil from heterogeneous reservoirs.
Water and Nutrient Dynamics of Pinus caribaea Plantation Forests on degraded grassland
soils in Southwest Viti Levu, Fiji
M.J. Waterloo (1994); PhD thesis, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, 478 pp.
On Convolutional Processes and Dispersive Groundwater Flow
C. Maas (1994); PhD thesis, Delft University of Technology, Delft, 162 pp.
Review (in Dutch) by Harry Boukes (1995) in Stromingen, vol 1, nr 1, pp 64–65.
Analytical elements for transient groundwater flow
W.J. Zaadnoordijk (1988); PhD thesis, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA, 140 pp.
Hydrological and Biogeochemical aspects of man-made forests in South-Central Java, Indonesia
L.A. Bruijnzeel (1983); PhD thesis, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 249 pp.
 This thesis deals with the hydrology and nutrient cycling of tropical plantation forest in Java. It includes information on rainfall interception, evaporation and stream runoff, as well as the associated fluxes of nutrients. This study formed the start of Sampurno’s great hydrological research career in the tropics. Unfortunately, this thesis is not available online as it was printed in the early days of the computer age.
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