news 2023

The new state-of-the-art Ecotron module of the Netherlands Plant-Ecophenotyping Centre (NPEC) is now fully functional. The module, located in the new NPEC-dedicated building on the campus of Utrecht University, allows researchers to simulate and study agricultural and natural ecosystems. It consists of 36 enclosed units in which environmental conditions can be fully controlled and monitored.

Around the world, retreating glaciers leave vast areas of unstable sediments behind. Researchers from Utrecht University, University of Bayreuth and University of Wuerzburg found that across mountain regions, plants actively aid the stabilisation of these sediments in a similar way, regardless of climate and plant species.

Methane contributes significantly to climate change. Emission reduction of this greenhouse gas has shown high potential in quickly slowing down global warming. Utrecht University researcher Hossein Maazallahi recently founded his start-up Maaz Maps to accelerate methane emission reduction at the global scale.

Some cold ice shelves in Antarctica, which researchers initially thought would remain stable over the coming centuries, turn out to be vulnerable in the event of further global warming. This conclusion results from a study led by Utrecht climate researcher Melchior van Wessem. When ice shelves break up, they do not contribute to sea level rise, because they are already floating in the ocean.

Some cold ice shelves in Antarctica, which researchers initially thought would remain stable over the coming centuries, turn out to be vulnerable in the event of further global warming. This conclusion results from a study led by Utrecht University and on which Stef Lhermitte and Bert Wouters from Delft University of Technology contributed.

Rising sea levels, more frequent extreme precipitation and drier summers will put increasing demands on our dikes in the future. Over the next thirty years, 1,500 kilometres of dikes will need to be strengthened in the Netherlands alone. Ecologists from Radboud University and Wageningen University & Research claim that an increase in the number of flowers and herbs that are grown on dikes will already go a long way towards solving the problem.

Sorry! De informatie die je zoekt, is enkel beschikbaar in het Engels. You are not logged in yet to My study choice Portal. Login or create an account to save your programmes. In future, larger areas of the Netherlands will face an increase in wildfires, which may also increase in intensity. These are the findings of a consortium of experts from the Netherlands Institute for Public Safety (NIPV), the Royal Dutch Meteorological Institute (KNMI), Wageningen University & Research, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Deltares.

Nearly nine in ten major ports globally are exposed to damaging climate hazards, resulting in escalating economic impacts on global trade and world economies. This is according to new research led by the University of Oxford and involving climate risk scientist Elco Koks from VU Amsterdam. This is the first study that quantified the climate risks faced by ports in high resolution on a global scale.

The Netherlands needs to account for climate-driven flood risks when planning new housing advises the Deltaprogramma : where and how we build houses and what governments and homeowners can do to adapt to the increasing flood risks. Nature-based solutions (NbS) are a cornerstone of climate change adaptation worldwide.

On January 20, Team POLAR showcases its first vehicle for independent climate research in icy, inhospitable regions such as the North and South Poles.