Preface

This report is a bachelor thesis for the BSc Civil Engineering at the Delft University of Technology. The topic was to investigate the impact of climate change on a river of choice. My interest in cold regions and unique processes that occur in these environments inspired me to focus on rivers in Canada. This led to the investigation of the Lower Athabasca River, where climate change may affect low flow conditions, river ice processes and navigation. The relevance of this topic is strengthened by the dependence of Indigenous communities on the river for transportation, hunting and fishing.

First, I would like to thank my supervisors Dr. Ir. R.W. Hut and Dr. Ir. G.H.W. Schoups for their support and guidance throughout the thesis. I am also grateful to Ir. M. Melotto for technical guidance regarding the usage of eWaterCycle and for providing insights into computational hydrological modelling. Furthermore, I would like to thank my fellow bachelor students Beau Buijtenhuijs, Julian Steenhuisen and Niels Eijer for meaningful discussions about our projects.

Delft, June 2026
Maxime de Bekker