Future Research plans

The following (Ph.D.) projects on Delta Evolution are in the planning stage. For some projects an extensive research program is already available. These projects will be submitted for funding in the near future. Titles and aims are provisional.

Digital elevation image of the IJsseldal, based on data from Rijkswaterstaat-AGI.
The IJsseldal course of the river Rhine during the Late-Quaternary
Aim: To assess during which periods of time the IJssel valley course of the river Rhine has been active during the last two glacial cycles, and to establish the importance of the forcing by glacio-isostacy and tectonics in determining preference of the fluvial system for one of the courses. OSL dating will be applied to Late-Quaternary fluvial deposits in the IJssel valley course to determine during what times over the last two glacial cycles the northerly route has been occupied.
Supervision: Dr. W.Z. Hoek, Dr. H.J.A. Berendsen, Dr. K.M. Cohen, Drs. F.S. Busschers (VU Amsterdam) & Dr. J. Wallinga (Netherlands Centre for Luminescence dating).
Various courses of the River Rhine during the Late Pleistocene, according to Verbraeck (1984).
Facies distribution and preservation potential in near-coastal deltaic settings, translating process relationships and deposit characteristics of a Holocene to an Eemian setting.
Aim: To sedimentologically and architecturally characterize near-coastal deltaic settings of different age and translate process relationships and deposit characteristics of subrecent analogues to hydrocarbon reservoirs. To be funded by Statoil, Norway.
Supervision: Dr. E. Stouthamer.
Interaction between coastal and fluvial dynamics and its effect on deltaic architecture.
Aim: 1) gain a better understanding of the interaction of coastal and fluvial dynamics and its influence on deltaic architecture, including facies distribution; 2) determine the influence of avulsions on deltaic architecture; 3) quantify coastal and fluvial processes on time scales of 102-106 years; 4) incorporate these processes in a new 4D-(time-space) deltaic architecture model. To be funded by NWO-ALW (2008-2013): Dr. E. Stouthamer and 2 Ph.D. students. The project is subdivided into three sub-projects: a) Quantification of the architecture of near-coastal areas and the relationship to avulsions; b) Avulsions and avulsion sequences and their potential effects on delta evolution and architecture; c) Modelling deltaic architecture on various time scales: an integrated study. Subprojects a and b are carried out by a Ph.D. student, subproject c by Dr. E. Stouthamer.
Supervision: Dr. E. Stouthamer.
Facies analysis of heterogeneous distal fluvial and deltaic clay and peat occurrences and their transitions to sand bodies
Aim: To identify and characterize (in a quantitative way) facies units in the fine grained Holocene substrate of the western Netherlands, that have practical applicability in terms of quantifying hydrological properties on a spatial and temporal scale. The methodology includes the construction of a detailed network of corings, allowing to reconstruct the three dimensional geometry or architecture of distal fluvial and deltaic deposits.
Supervision: Dr. H.J.A. Berendsen & Drs. G. Kruse (GeoDelft).
Neotectonic influence in the Rhine-Meuse delta
Aim: To accurately map the location of active faults, quantify neotectonic movements over various time scales, monitor neotectonic movements and estimate earthquake hazards.
Supervision: Dr. K.M. Cohen & Dr. H.J.A. Berendsen.
Isostatic forcing of fluvial systems in lowland areas
Aim: To investigate and quantify the impact of isostatic movements on fluvial systems in pro-glacial lowland areas. The Netherlands and the southern North Sea are located in the forebulge zone of the British and Scandinavian ice sheets. This area has experienced multiple river diversions during the Middle and Late Pleistocene glacials.
Supervision: Dr. K.M. Cohen, Drs. F.S. Busschers (VU, Amsterdam) & Drs. P. Kiden (Netherlands Geological Survey).
The IJssel Valley geohydrology
Cross section of the IJssel valley.
Aim: Characterizing sediments and geohydrological properties of stratigraphical units in the IJssel Valley, and establishing a lithostratigraphic subdivision of the Kreftenheye Formation.
Supervision: Dr. H.J.A. Berendsen, Dr. H.J.T. Weerts & Prof. Dr. Ir. M.F.P. Bierkens.
Typical flood discharges since the Late Glacial Maximum
Aim: To quantify palaeodischarges of the lower Rhine and Meuse, based on field evidence such as channel-belt geometries.
Supervision: Dr. K.M. Cohen, Dr. M.G. Kleinhans & Dr. H. Middelkoop.
Sediment characterisation using radioactive nuclides
Aim: To measure K, U, and Th values in sediments of known provenance, and to apply this method to sediments of unknown origin, to aid paleogeographic studies.
Supervision: Dr. H.J.A. Berendsen, Dr. H. Middelkoop & Prof. Dr. R. de Meijer (University of Groningen).
Radiocarbon dating of macrofossils of specific species in peats
Aim: To identify apparent age differences resulting from dating seeds of different species.
Supervision: Dr. E. Stouthamer, Dr. K. van der Borg & Dr. A. de Jong (Robert J. van de Graaff laboratory, Utrecht University).
Synchroneity of climate responses in the proxy records to rapid changes during the Last Glacial-Interglacial Transition (LGIT) in a West-East European Transect
Aim: To investigate differences in response between different biological proxies and the oxygen isotope signal with regards to timing and magnitude.
Supervision: Dr. W.Z. Hoek.
A tephrochronological framework for the Netherlands
Aim:To link the environmental changes as recorded in the Netherlands with other European terrestrial, marine and ice core records using tephrochronology
Supervision: Dr. W.Z. Hoek.
Environmental changes in the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt Delta system
Aim: To study the hydrodynamical, morphological, geochemical and ecological consequences of new fluvial and coastal zone management policies in managing and developing the SW Delta region.
Supervision: Prof. Dr. P. Hoekstra
The evolution of tidal inlets and outer deltas in the transgressive system of the Dutch Wadden Coast
Aim: To understand the short-term (months-years) as well as long term (centuries to millennia) development of tidal inlets and outer deltas in a transgressive coastal system with a significant sea level rise.
Supervision: Prof. Dr. P. Hoekstra.
Formation of a beach bar at the west coast of Schiermonnikoog.
Marine sediment dynamics and bedforms in response to physical and biological conditions
Aim: To determine the effect of bedforms on sediment transport and to establish relationships between bedforms, sediment properties and biological conditions (species).
Supervision: Prof. Dr. P. Hoekstra