Hotspot Schiphol Mainport and Region

Schiphol airport and the surrounding area ('Schiphol Mainport and Region') are very vulnerable to climate change. The airport is situated, from a hydrology point of view, in one of the most complex and fragile urban areas in the world. There is no doubt that continued land subsidence, coupled with more intense periods of precipitation and drought and with an accelerated rise in sea levels, will force fundamental changes to take place in the design and use of the whole of the Schiphol region.

Climate change and the resulting change in weather conditions not only affect daily operations at Schiphol airport, but are also a determining factor in possible future expansion. Schiphol needs to anticipate such changes in weather and the climate if it is to maintain its competitive position as a mainport.   

Climate change is a driving force for research into adaptation possibilities, to enable the Schiphol region to live securely with water and to enable solutions to be found for the strain Schiphol places on the region. Various areas will be particularly affected by such adaptation, for which more knowledge is required concerning changes in weather and the climate and their effects:

• water management, in particular water quantity and quality
• spatial design, in particular the reliability of airport capacity in the long term
• the airport operation, in particular reliability in the short term
• related issues, such as maintenance activities

Objective
Develop knowledge in order to climate proof Schiphol and to contribute to sustainable operations at Schiphol Mainport and Region, in balance with its surroundings, now and in the future.

The Climate Proof Schiphol programme has two themes:

1. spatial design (issues such as drainage, salinisation and water level management, the attraction of land to birds and the relationship with the soil-water vegetation system)
2. operations (the better prediction of weather conditions, noise production prediction and methods to prevent water pollution resulting from the use of de-icing chemicals)