3.5 The sea knocking on the front door

• Aardrijkskunde
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 2

Water

The sea knocking on the

front door

Which parts of NL
can be flooded from the sea?

Learning goals

1. You know what types of polders there are and that there are misconceptions about safety.
2. You understand why the flood risk of the Netherlands below sea level is increasing and how the coast is being protected against it.
3. You can indicate various polders and coastal areas on the map of the Netherlands.

Myths

Half of the Netherlands will be flooded when 1 dyke breaks.

         - Nonsense, areas are surrounded by dyke rings

We are so good at building dykes that nothing can happen to the Netherlands.

         - The Netherlands can still flood when a dyke breaks.

https://waterophetschoolplein.nl/portaal/overstromingsrisicoatlas/

Polders

Polders come in different shapes and sizes. There are a few types of polders:

1.  Sea polders, these were reclaimed pieces of land from the sea.
2.  Peat polders, These were pieces of swamp area which were drained. (when you drain these types of polders, they will start compacting.)
3.  Reclaimed lakes, these were reclaimed by pumping lakes dry. Examples are the Haarlemmermeer and the Beemster.
4.  Parts of the Zuiderzee (IJsselmeer) were drained to create land.

Danger at the coast

Due to climate change, the Netherlands will stand against more dangers. Rising sea levels and storms could wash away our first line of defence: the foredune 

Dealing with problems along the coast

1. Dykes are strengthened where necessary. Dykes are needed because coastal erosion takes away our first line of defence.
2. The Dutch use dynamic coastal management. This is a way to let the ocean relief itself.
3. Using the Waddenzee as a tidal landscape for water to escape to.

How can we avoid floods
on long-term?

Working

Make assignment 1, 2 and 3

Learning goals

1. You know what types of polders there are and that there are misconceptions about safety.
2. You understand why the flood risk of the Netherlands below sea level is increasing and how the coast is being protected against it.
3. You can indicate various polders and coastal areas on the map of the Netherlands.

Homework

Make all of the assignments from 3.5