What does FH investigate?
Coastal safety against extreme storms
Flanders Hydraulics specialises in policy advice and the (pre)design, monitoring and testing of sea defences. We have specific expertise in coastal protection structures, including sea dikes, dunes, beaches, harbour dams and storm walls. We investigate the interaction with waves, currents and sand transport. We do this by using in situ measurements of hydrodynamic and morphodynamic processes, scale model tests in 2D (wave flume) or 3D (wave basin) and advanced numerical models that give us insight in tides, wave propagation, beach erosion, dune erosion, wave flapping, wave overshoot (e.g. CFD modelling). We keep an up-to-date set of instruments that can be used to assess the strength of sea defences and to assess the risks of damage and casualties in the event of flooding by the sea. These tools are used by the policy in the 6-year cycle to evaluate the state of coastal safety.
Coastal protection against erosion
In order to develop sustainable solutions for erosion protection, Flanders Hydraulics is conducting research into the morphodynamics of the coastal zone. We carry out desktop studies in which we first digitise and then study old data, we carry out in situ measurements and we draw up numerical models. A better understanding of the complexity of processes on a range of time scales (from centuries to hours) allows us to propose measures that cooperate with nature. This also allows us to avoid creating new erosion problems. Flanders Hydraulics not only provides advice and research on the design of new measures, but also evaluates the evolution of works carried out by means of long-term monitoring. For this purpose, we perform site measurements of e.g. flow rates, flow velocities, beach profiles, grain size and other characteristics of beach sand.
Integrated coastal zone management
Flanders Hydraulics participates in collaboration with policymakers and researchers with other specialisations such as ecologists, spatial planners, historians, local authorities and so on. Its aim is to work on integrated coastal zone management. We want to help address societal challenges such as adapting to climate change, compensating for biodiversity loss, blue energy generation, accessibility of ports, salinisation and so on. Participating in multidisciplinary teams, carrying out desktop studies, broad communication of technical research results, participating in working groups, giving presentations to the general public and so on are the ways in which we do our bit.
Projects
Physical scale model research for the design of a new sea dike at Westende-Middelkerke
The construction of a new sea dike is initiated by the municipality of Middelkerke.
Coupling SWASH and DualSPHysics
The road to efficient and accurate design of the optimised coastal defence systems of tomorrow – Coupling numerical models enables complex modelling only where necessary: advantages of each model are preserved without suffering their individual downsides.
Coastal Safety Assessment – dunes & dikes
According to the Masterplan Coastal Safety (MDK & WL, 2011), which aims at protecting the Flemish coast against severe storm surges (including sea level rise), a coastal safety assessment needs to carried out every 6 years.
Morphological monitoring of a nourishment at Mariakerke
The monitoring of the pilot nourishment executed at Mariakerke coastal area for comparing the morphological response to a combined beach and shoreface nourishment and to a beach nourishment took place from the start of the pilot nourishment in 2013 until 2018.
Morphological trends of beach, dune foot, shoreface and adjoining seabed
The volumetric and geographical changes of dune attachment, beach, shoreface and adjoining seabed along the Flemish coast were determined and updated until 2019 on the basis of the regular topographical measurement flights of the part of the coastal barrier that comes dry at low tide, and the reg
Ensuring Dune Resilience Against Climate Change
ENDURE is a project co-financed by ERDF through the INTERREG Two Seas Programme 2014-2020 (https://www.endure.eu.com/).