Menno Straatsma

Dr. Menno Straatsma is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Geography at Utrecht University's Faculty of Geosciences. His work focuses on fluvial systems, coastal dynamics, and global change impacts, with a particular emphasis on biogeomorphology of rivers and estuaries. He integrates remote sensing, hydraulic modeling, and participatory approaches to address challenges in river management, floodplain ecology, and ecosystem services valuation.

Education details are not explicitly listed, but his research spans over two decades, involving projects in the Rhine-Meuse delta, South Africa, and tropical regions. He teaches Spatial statistics and machine learning and collaborates on global hydrology models like PCR-GLOBWB. His recent work explores uncertainty quantification in flood mitigation and co-creative approaches to river landscape design.

Research interests include hydraulic roughness modeling, vegetation-geomorphology interactions, and climate adaptation strategies. He has developed tools like RiverScape for river management optimization and contributed to global water gap analyses. His interdisciplinary approach bridges ecology, engineering, and policy, addressing both local (Netherlands) and global water challenges.

Publications emphasize spatial quantification frameworks for Water-Energy-Food security, biogeomorphological dynamics, and participatory decision-making tools. He actively engages in floodplain vegetation monitoring using UAV and LiDAR technologies, advancing understanding of habitat suitability and sediment transport processes.