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Over the course of the last century, storm surge barriers have been built in several countries and proven to be successful in preventing flooding. However, the operation, reliability, and remaining life of these structures have come under increased pressure due to changing demands, intensified utilisation, and climate change. Yet, there is relatively little known about how these factors affect the remaining life of storm surge barriers. To address this issue, a framework is presented to assess the impacts of external drivers on the remaining life in a systematic manner. The framework considers both the technical state and functional performance and uses scenarios to evaluate the impact of external drivers. The application of the framework is demonstrated for the Hollandsche IJssel barrier (the Netherlands). The results indicate that sea level rise (SLR) is the dominant physical driver. Even in moderate SLR scenarios, the lifespan of the barrier may end in the 2040s if the functional performance with respect to flood protection and navigation cannot be improved. Ultimately, the study demonstrates how the remaining life of storm surge barriers could be assessed systematically and the impact of external drivers on the remaining life could be evaluated., Hydraulic Structures and Flood Risk, Integral Design & Management

Sea level rise (SLR) will affect water levels and increase flood risk in river deltas. To adapt river deltas to SLR, various strategies can be followed. Many urbanised river deltas already have flood protection in place. Continuing a protection strategy under an increasing SLR, would mean higher embankments along the coast and rivers and possibly closing off the river mouths from the sea. However, closing of rivers will hamper the river flow. How to adapt river deltas and enabling rivers to discharge into the sea is a challenging question. This paper assesses impacts of SLR on flood risks in the Rhine-Meuse Delta in the Netherlands in case the current protection strategy is continued and explores two alternative protection strategies: (1) a closed system with pumps and discharge sluices and (2) an open system in which rivers are diverted to less densely populated areas. The second alternative results in a more flexible river delta, which can accommodate larger SLR. The paper shows that a systems approach and using quantitative assessments of the implications of strategies is possible. This is needed to further assess the adaptation options, so we can anticipate and adapt when needed and avoid regret of decisions.

Knowledge on the different components of flood risk has much improved over the last decades, but research which fully takes into account not only the interactions between those components but also between different areas in a catchment or delta is still rare. Integrated analyses based on a complete system's approach at sufficiently large scale will improve our understanding of how flood risk systems with flood protection infrastructure in place behave under extreme conditions, it may help to develop sensible long-term strategies, and allows us to better prepare for flood events of all magnitudes. To illustrate the relevance of a hydrodynamic system's approach for flood risk management we analyse the effect of defence breaches on flood risks elsewhere along the lower Rhine River and discuss the use of this knowledge for flood risk management., Policy Analysis