NIOZ Strengthens Sea-Level Research

20-06-2012   The Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research (NIOZ) is developing a new line of research into sea level change. In the next five years, Dr Bert Vermeersen (Delft University of Technology) will be studying processes affecting global and regional sea level variations.

These processes include possible consequences of melting ice sheets, gravity changes, deformation of the solid earth, and earth rotation. A combination of these processes cause great regional variations in the sea level, which is of importance to the Netherlands. Melting ice sheets on Greenland, for instance, may cause a sea level rise in one region but a sea level drop elsewhere. Until recently, regional variations were not taken into account and only globally averaged variations were estimated.

The models can be applied in the fields of marine geological and geophysical research, but they may also be useful for research into marine life and paleoclimates. In addition to this, NIOZ research will be more closely linked to satellite observations, such as those made by Delft University of Technology, including satellite altimetry, gravity and GPS.

Vermeersen will hold an appointment for 1.5 days a week at the NIOZ Physical Oceanography Department on Texel by 1 July.

Vermeersen is a geophysicist and a planetary scientist, working as an associate professor at the Department of Astrodynamics and Space Missions in the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at Delft University of Technology. He will continue to work in the field of planetary exploration at Delft University of Technology after 1 July. Vermeersen will be working closely together with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI), the Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research (IMAU) and the Faculty of Geosciences of Utrecht University.

www.beta-ambassadeursnetwerk.nl/?pid=26&paspoort=135 (in Dutch)
www.kennislink.nl/publicaties/antarctica-is-veel-gevaarlijker-dan-groenland (in Dutch)