Holocene landscape reconstruction of the Wadden Sea area between Marsdiep and Weser

A significant finding from this study is the identification of distinct natural and anthropogenic processes that have driven coastal changes in the Wadden Sea between Marsdiep and Weser during the late Holocene. The research reveals that while early coastal dynamics were primarily shaped by sea-level rise, tidal basin formation, and peat bog development, human activities—particularly land reclamation and dike construction from the Late Iron Age onward—accelerated subsidence and vulnerability to storm surges, leading to catastrophic flooding events like those in the Jade and Dollard regions during the 14th and 15th centuries. The study combines paleogeographical mapping with historical analysis to reconstruct these changes, offering insights into the interplay between natural coastal evolution and human intervention over millennia.

Vos, P. C., & Knol, E. (2015). Holocene landscape reconstruction of the Wadden Sea area between Marsdiep and Weser. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences - Geologie En Mijnbouw, 94(2), 157–183. https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2015.4