After the vibro-core is hoisted on deck, science can begin

Sponsored by Deltares (www.deltares.nl)

At the beginning of the Holocene age, about 12,000 years ago, sea level was sixty metres lower than at present and the North Sea was largely dry. Just 4,000 years later, the sea rose by approximately fifty metres, and an open river landscape was transformed into what is now the North Sea.

These days, the story of how exactly the land under the North Sea was submerged is buried below water and sand. Not only is that story geologically and archaeologically important, it also contains lessons about sea level rise in the future. The research vessel of the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research sailed to uncover that story. On board is a team of Dutch researchers including Marc Hijma and Chris Mesdag (Deltares) and Freek Busschers (TNO-Geological Survey of the Netherlands). Read their day-to-day blog on NIOZ@Sea.