The stability of dikes subjects to soil-vegetation-atmosphere interaction

Large areas of the Netherlands are below the sea level, and a network of primary and secondary (regional) dikes protect these areas from inundation. Regular assessments and monitoring are implemented with the intention of ensuring the safety of the protected areas. However these assessments usually ignore that these dikes are subject to various climatic driving forces. This thesis demonstrates the effect of Soil-Vegetation-Atmosphere (SVA) interaction via the use of an idealised example regional dike, and then introduces up-to-date techniques that can lead to automated early warning systems and almost real-time monitoring of the regional dikes.