About Wouter Kranenburg

Wouter Kranenburg is an expert in the field of transport hydrodynamics in estuaries, lakes and coastal seas. Since joining Deltares in 2014, a key topic of his research and consultancy work concerns Salinity Intrusion into Estuaries. This topic is gaining increased attention due to its relevance for fresh water availability and increasing salinity intrusion under influence of climate change and deepening of estuaries around the world.

Wouter contributes to the ambition of sufficient water of adequate quality for all through projects on salt intrusion both in The Netherlands and abroad, in various roles including project leader, lead numerical modeler, expert hydrodynamics and tender lead. Other topics he works on concern e.g. stratification and mixing in enclosed former estuaries and lakes related to water quality, and development of 3D-numerical models for these systems.

Wouter holds an MSc from Delft University of Technology and PhD from University of Twente. From 2016-2018, he was a USGS postdoctoral scholar at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), MA, USA. During this time, he set-up an extensive field measurement campaign on dispersion and density driven currents in an estuarine environment.

Since returning to Deltares in 2018, Salt Intrusion Mechanisms, Models and Measures are a recurring element in his research and consultancy projects. Wouter is co-lead of SALTISolutions, a large Dutch research program on salinity intrusion.

Since 2021, Wouter holds a position as Assistant Professor at Delft University of Technology, where he is developing a research group, focussing on ‘Fresh and salt - warm and cold: unravelling density-driven dynamics and their effects on circulation, mixing and transport in estuaries and coastal seas.’

“I firmly believe all around the world a thorough system understanding can form the basis for solutions for issues in our water systems. That is what I aim to contribute to.”