Holocene relative mean sea-level changes in the Wadden Sea area, northern Netherlands

Although the Netherlands has a long tradition of sea-level research, no Holocene relative sea-level curve is available for the north of the Netherlands. Previous studies hypothesised that the relative sea-level reconstruction for the western Netherlands is also valid for the northern part of the cou...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Quaternary Science
Main Authors: Meijles, Erik W., Kiden, Patrick, Streurman, Harm-Jan, van der Plicht, Johannes, Vos, Peter C., Gehrels, W. Roland, Kopp, Robert E.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2018
Subjects:
basal peat
differential land movements
glacial isostatic adjustment
North Sea
radiocarbon dating
WESTERN NETHERLANDS
RECONSTRUCTING MIDDLE
BRITISH-ISLES
SALT-MARSH
RISE
EVOLUTION
GERMANY
RECORD
CURVE
BARRIER
Fennoscandia
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/11370/d7b5314a-8c9d-4d2b-97e7-1fb95ddc5759
https://research.rug.nl/en/publications/d7b5314a-8c9d-4d2b-97e7-1fb95ddc5759
https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.3068
https://pure.rug.nl/ws/files/67636913/Meijles_et_al_2018_Journal_of_Quaternary_Science.pdf
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Summary:Although the Netherlands has a long tradition of sea-level research, no Holocene relative sea-level curve is available for the north of the Netherlands. Previous studies hypothesised that the relative sea-level reconstruction for the western Netherlands is also valid for the northern part of the country. However, glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) models predict a lower and steeper relative sea-level curve because of greater postglacial isostatic subsidence. Long-term data of relative sea-level change are important to inform GIA models and understand postglacial vertical land motion related to the rebound of Fennoscandia and neotectonic activity. We compiled and evaluated a set of basal peat radiocarbon dates to reconstruct the Holocene relative mean sea-level rise in the Dutch Wadden Sea area. For the early Holocene, this reconstruction is lower than the western Netherlands curve. After 6400 cal a BP, the curve for the Wadden Sea is statistically indistinguishable from that for the western Netherlands, a result that conflicts with GIA model results. It remains to be investigated whether the problem lies with the GIA model predictions or with the quality of the available data. Additional basal peat radiocarbon dates from suitable sites should be collected to further solve this problem.

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