Coastal plain dynamics: GIS-solutions to map and catalogue coastal marine architectural elements

Abstract

The Dutch coast consists of beach barriers and tidal inlet systems which dynamically developed during the Holocene. The resulting coastal plain geology has been studied extensively since the beginning of the 20th century, in various ways and from different backgrounds. Today, a large amount of heterogeneous data and many regional studies are available. However, the overwhelming quantities make that knowledge tends to stay fragmented. To analyze coastal system dynamics at millennial time scales, an overview and integration of knowledge on coastal development is required. Therefore, a GIS-system has been developed, expanding on methods for mapping the Rhine-Meuse delta. The new GIS-system documents the accumulated knowledge on individual geological-geomorphological elements and allows to map coastal evolution from past to present. The system links digital base maps (extent of geological-geomorphological elements) and database tables (dating, lines of reasoning, references to sources), which both are dynamically updatable. The system combines this data in scripts to produce palaeogeographical maps for times of choice, as far as data allows. It enables supraregional comparison of coastal plain development, along the entire Dutch coast, and its local and regional forcings by quantitatively analyzing sea ingression dynamics. Both academic and applied research can benefit from this integrated reconstruction.