Accumulation and transport of atmospherically deposited PFOA and PFOS in undisturbed soils downwind from a fluoropolymers factory

PFOA and PFOS are widely found PFAS components in Dutch topsoils. PFOA was emitted to the atmosphere during 1970-2012 from a fluoropolymers factory, and was deposited mainly within a radius of 50 km. For the first time, detailed concentration-depth profiles of PFOA and PFOS were measured in undisturbed soils down wind of the factory. Three...

GreenhousePeat A model linking CO2emissions from subsiding peatlands to changing groundwater levels

Using 14C-dated peat beds for reconstructing subsidence by compression in the holland coastal plain of the Netherlands

Koster, K.; Cohen, K.M.; Stafleu, J., and Stouthamer, E., 2018. Using 14C-dated peat beds for reconstructing subsidence by compression in the Holland coastal plain of the Netherlands. Subsidence in the Holland coastal plain of the Netherlands was reconstructed from the vertical displacement of Holocene peat layers below their reference...

The impact of avulsion on groundwater level and peat formation in delta floodbasins during the middle-Holocene transgression in the Rhine-Meuse delta, The Netherlands

By redistributing water and sediment in delta plains, avulsions of river branches have major environmental impacts, notably in changing hydrological and peat-forming conditions in floodbasins. The central part of the Rhine-Meuse delta, with its extensive databases including detailed lithological data and high-resolution age control, offers a...

A new soil mechanics approach to quantify and predict land subsidence by peat compression

Land subsidence threatens many coastal areas. Quantifying current and predicting future subsidence are essential to sustain the viability of these areas with respect to rising sea levels. Despite its scale and severity, methods to quantify subsidence are scarce. In peat-rich subsidence hot spots, subsidence is often caused by peat compression....

Geochemical and palaeohydrological controls on the composition of shallow groundwater in the Netherlands

With the exception of the south of the country, the Netherlands has a strong bipartite hydrogeology: the Holocene part with a coastal dune belt and confining top layer of clay and peat further inland, and the Pleistocene, where thick phreatic aquifers dominate. This research aimed to ascertain the geochemical and palaeohydrological controls on...

Organic-facies determination: A key for understanding facies distribution in the basal peat layer of the Holocene Rhine-Meuse delta, The Netherlands

Peat and gyttja (organic lake sediment) are important indicators for past environmental conditions; they form in areas where the supply of clastic sediment is insufficient to fill the accommodation space. Previous studies of delta sediments, however, have focused mainly on clastic deposits, whereas organics have received only minimal attention....

Subsidence in the holocene delta of The Netherlands

The low-lying part of The Netherlands is very vulnerable in terms of surface subsidence due to peat oxidation and peat/clay compaction. To gain knowledge about this kind of subsidence and the factors driving it, a study was performed in which as many surface elevation data were collected as possible and processed to obtain a subsidence map....

Regional sediment deficits in the Dutch lowlands: Implications for long-term land-use options

Background, Aim and Scope. Coastal and river plains are the surfaces of depositional systems, to which sediment input is a parameter of key-importance. Their habitation and economic development usually requires protection with dikes, quays, etc., which are effective in retaining floods but have the side effect of impeding sedimentation in their...