A peat layer and the underlying mineral soil in a section of the Zuidelijke Flevopolder in the central Netherlands has been studied for pollen analysis. The pollen spectra from the mineral soil reflect a Late-Atlantic forest development under relatively dry soil conditions. Podzolizing has started, but as a consequence of a rise of the groundwater table the soil became wetter and an alder carr could develop. A further rise of the water table is thought to be responsible for the decline of the alder carr after 3780 ± 60 bp. Eutrophic peat growth at site OZ-43 is synchronous with the deposits belonging to the ‘Cardium transgression’ phase. The development in the Ijsselmeer region was strongly correlated with the coastal development of Noord-Holland. The oldest ‘Cardium deposits’ are thought to be transported via the Oer-IJ and the youngest via tidal channels in the north near Hoorn. The clay sediments covering the peat belong to the Zuiderzee deposits and indicate a hiatus between the peat and the clay deposits of at least 3500 calendar years.

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Acta botanica neerlandica

CC BY 3.0 NL ("Naamsvermelding")

Koninklijke Nederlandse Botanische Vereniging

D.G. van Smeerdijk. (1989). Alder carr, growth and drowning in the IJsselmeer region, an aspect of the Dutch coastal development. Acta botanica neerlandica, 38(4), 477–491.