dr.ir. E.M. Horstman (Erik)

I am trained as a Civil Engineer (BSc, MSc) at the University of Twente. For my PhD (completed in 2014, University of Twente/National University of Singapore) I studied short-term biophysical interactions in mangrove forests in Thailand. I joined the University of Waikato (New Zealand) as a Research Fellow in 2015, studying thresholds to sediment dynamics in mangroves. In 2018 I obtained my current position as Assistant Professor at the University of Twente, combining my Mangrove-RESCUE research with training the next generation of civil engineers/coastal scientists.

Check out my story on this website!

Expertise

• Earth and Planetary Sciences

  • Mangrove
  • Vegetation
  • Forest
  • Investigation
  • Model
  • Beach
  • Datum
  • Cellular Automata

Organisations

My scientific interests revolve around pioneering research into the biophysical interactions in mangrove ecosystems. Thriving at the dynamic interface between land and sea, mangroves form a significant source of drag, attenuating tidal currents and waves. Consequently, mangroves are known as sediment-trapping environments.

I believe that observations are the basis for understanding natural systems, so my work hinges on the collection of field and experimental data. In numerous challenging field campaigns, I collected datasets with comprehensive observations of hydrodynamics, sediment dynamics, vegetation parameters and related physical and biological parameters. These observations have directly enhanced our understanding of for example tidal flow routing, wave attenuation and deposition patterns in mangroves.

In my PhD research, I employed field data for the calibration and validation of a numerical model simulating sediment dynamics in mangroves. This endeavour showed great potential for predicting longer-term mangrove development, but also revealed the relevance of unknown system parameters related to drag forces and sediment dynamics.

My current research addresses turbulent processes in mangroves, aiming to unravel spatial and temporal variations in these drag forces and sediment dynamics. These unique observations from the field will feed into more accurate process-based models of the short-term dynamics in mangroves.

Building upon these obtained insights, I aim to develop accurate yet efficient models simulating the long-term biophysical development of mangrove ecosystems. Such models will help predict and assess the contribution of mangroves to coastal stability and safety and to address potential compromising effects of human activities on these regulating services provided by mangroves.

Publications

Research profiles

Affiliated study programs

Courses academic year 2024/2025

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2023/2024

Mangrove-RESCUE: Mangrove Resilience for Enhanced Safety of Coastal Urbanisations and Environments

Mangrove ecosystems shelter tropical and subtropical shorelines. Their natural resilience allows them to recover from erosion events and to adapt to changing conditions. This study measures and simulates processes that influence this resilience, enabling the long-term prediction and protection of mangrove development and their contribution to coastal safety.

In the press

• Trouw, 12 July 2021
• Stuff, 7 May 2018
• Antilliaans Dagblad, 4 August 2014

News on utwente.nl

• Five researchers with VENI grant start project on the UT, 1 August 2017

Address

University of Twente

Horst Complex (building no. 20), room W207
De Horst 2
7522 LW Enschede
Netherlands

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Organisations

Additional contact information

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