Teun Terpstra
The sea level is rising. Should we be more concerned about floods? And what can we do to prepare? Professor Teun Terpstra from HZ University of Applied Sciences in Middelburg combines technical and psychological knowledge to address these questions.
"You can calculate everything, but you also need the support of residents."
What are you researching?
I research how we can keep the Southwest Delta (Zeeland, the South Holland islands, and the western part of North Brabant) safe and prosperous as sea levels rise due to climate change. Together with other researchers, I am working on a project that explores five topics: nature, economy, freshwater, safety, and public support. I focus mainly on the last two: what is the safest approach, and how much support is there for measures within society?
How did you get here?
I studied Civil Engineering at the University of Twente, specializing in water management. Then, I was unexpectedly asked if I wanted to apply for a PhD position in Psychology, focusing on how people assess the risks of flooding. I knew nothing about psychology, but I went for an interview with Professor Jan Gutteling. We immediately clicked. Jan saw my background in water safety as an asset, as he wasn’t as familiar with the technical side. In turn, he helped me navigate the world of psychology. With the combination of civil engineering and psychology, I’ve developed a unique expertise that is also highly relevant today.
What does your research look like?
1. Staying Safe
No matter what the future holds, we need to take action to protect ourselves from the water. There are three options: (1) we keep the current system of sea dikes, dams, and storm surge barriers as long as possible, even with rising sea levels; (2) we further enclose the current coastline (especially the Oosterschelde and Westerschelde) or build a new enclosed coastline further out to sea; or (3) we partially or entirely remove existing storm surge barriers, dikes, and dams to create a new coastline with the help of nature. All these options have pros and cons for nature, the economy, safety, and available drinking water. In my research, we try to investigate these pros and cons and find smart combinations of different approaches.
2. Sense of Safety
In my research, I always aim to bring together safety and the perception of safety. You can come up with the scientifically best strategy to stay safe, but if people don’t believe it will improve their situation, they won’t cooperate.
That’s why we use surveys to measure support for different measures and explore the thoughts and emotions involved. We find that emotions often matter more than the technical pros and cons of a measure. The idea of breaking a dike or removing a barrier is a frightening one, even if research shows that, in the long run, it would be safer.
Why is your research important?
When it comes to the risk of flooding, we are often told that we are safe behind our dikes. But that’s not the whole story. We know that things can go wrong and how many casualties can occur if they do. Dikes are important, but they’re not always the only or the best solution.
What do you want to achieve in 5 years?
In five years, I want to know which solutions have the best chance of working effectively. Ideally, I would also like to be involved in testing them in practice. These kinds of solutions take time, so we need to start practicing as soon as possible and show residents how they work!
Would you like to read more about Teun Terpstra and his research projects?
