Peter Herman

Peter Herman is Professor of Ecological Hydraulic Engineering at Delft University of Technology, Senior researcher at Deltares (Coastal and Marine Systems). He is an ecologist working on physical-ecological interaction and modelling ecological dynamics in estuaries and coasts.

He is a broadly interested estuarine ecologist, fascinated by the ecological functioning of these systems full of gradients between fresh and salt, quiet and dynamic, high and low.

He uses mathematical models and theoretical concepts to better understand the complexity of these landscapes.He tries  to understand and describe this complexity in quantitative terms, e.g. in biogeochemical cycles, food webs, physical structures.

He conveys the knowledge gained in these theoretical studies to society.

  • Bouma, T., De Vries, M. & Herman, P. 2010. Comparing ecosystem engineering efficiency of two plant species with contrasting growth strategies. Ecology, 91, 2696-2704.
  • Heip, C., Goosen, N., Herman, P., Kromkamp, J., Middelburg, J. & Soetaert, K. 1995. Production and consumption of biological particles in temperate tidal estuaries. Oceanography and Marine Biology - an Annual Review, Vol 33, 33, 1-149.
  • Herman, P., Middelburg, J., Van De Koppel, J. & Heip, C. 1999. Ecology of estuarine macrobenthos. Advances in Ecological Research, Vol 29, 29, 195-240.
  • Philippart, C., Beukema, J., Cadee, G., Dekker, R., Goedhart, P., Van Iperen, J., Leopold, M. & Herman, P. 2007. Impacts of nutrient reduction on coastal communities. Ecosystems, 10, 95-118.
  • Temmerman, S., Bouma, T., Van de Koppel, J., Van der Wal, D., De Vries, M. and Herman, P., 2007, Vegetation causes channel erosion in a tidal landscape. Geology, 35: 631-634.
  • Temmerman, S., P. Meire, T. J. Bouma, P. M. J. Herman, T. Ysebaert, and H. J. De Vriend. 2013. Ecosystem-based coastal defence in the face of global change. Nature 504:79-83.
  • Van de Koppel, J., van der Wal, D., Bakker, J. and Herman, P., 2005b, Self-organization and vegetation collapse in salt marsh ecosystems. American Naturalist, 165: E1-E12.
  • Van de Koppel, J., Gascoigne, J., Theraulaz, G., Rietkerk, M., Mooij, W. and Herman, P., 2008, Experimental Evidence for Spatial Self-Organization and Its Emergent Effects in Mussel Bed Ecosystems. Science, 322: 739-742.

Professor Herman is involved in the following MSc. courses:

Soetaert, K. and P.M.J. Herman. A practical guide to ecological modeling, using R as a simulation platform. Springer.

Peter Herman

Professor of Ecological Hydraulic Engineering

 

Secretary: Otti kievits

Links to