Holocene relative sea-level changes in the Dutch Wadden Sea region

Holocene relative sea-level reconstructions provide information on differential land movements, palaeo-landscapes, occupational history, palaeo-ecology of coastal areas and are important for climate change studies. For The Netherlands most coastal regions have a well-established sea level curve. However, this is not the case for the Wadden area. Up until recently, there were not enough reliable index points to establish a separate curve for the Northern Netherlands. Van de Plassche (1982) assumed on the basis of the little basal peat data available (two index points) that the curve for the Western Netherlands was also applicable to the North of the country. Using a modelling approach, Kiden (2002) suggested a lower curve based on postglacial isostatic subsidence. The data to support such hypothesis was expanded recently to 15 index points as presented by Kiden & Vos (in prep). We now present data on a sea level curve valid for the Dutch Wadden area, based on published and previously unpublished data to a dataset of 49 basal peat 14C samples. First results suggest that in the early Holocene, the relative sea level curve is below the curve for the Western Netherland, but after around 7000 cal BP, the sea level rises comparably with the Western Netherlands curve.