Project Title: Bank erosion and dam breaching in coastal and riverine environments
Doctoral Candidate: Siyuan WANG
Project Description: Flood protection in low-lying regions like the Netherlands and Belgium faces increasing risks due to climate change, leading to more frequent dam breaches and erosion. This PhD project focuses on advancing the understanding of dam breaching and bank erosion through laboratory experiments. By simulating overtopping and erosion scenarios, the research will investigate material resistance and erosion dynamics, aiming to improve existing breach formulations. The subsequent step involves using the experimental data to validate numerical models, thereby increasing their predictive accuracy. Ultimately, the project seeks to improve breach forecasting and risk assessment, contributing to the development of more resilient flood protection systems in vulnerable riverine and coastal regions, particularly in the context of future climate change.