Kim M Cohen

Utrecht University, Physical Geography, Faculty Member

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My research covers:
* Palaeogeography, GIS and subsurface databases
* Subsurface geological architecture of modern deltas
* Quaternary Geology of the North Sea Basin
* Lowland Geomorphology: from landform forward to deposit preservation.
* Fluvial sedimentology: from architecture back to depositional process.
* Sediment budgets at basin scale, for series of 500 to 500,000 yr time steps.
* Rare river flood frequency-magnitude reconstruction.
* Proglaciation and periglaciation in NW Europe's low lands.

Topics
* Netherlands' Rhine-Meuse delta paleogeographic evolution
* Southern North Sea onshore-and-offshore paleolithic landscapes
* Mixed 3D subsurface information below major delta cities
* German Lower Rhine Embayment paleogeographic evolution
* North Sea Basin subsidence, neotectonics and sea level rise
* Global Quaternary Chronostratigraphy

I spend the other half of my time at Deltares and TNO Geological Survey of the Netherlands, working on the same topics.
Address: Utrecht, Netherlands

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Papers by Kim M Cohen

Sea-Level Change Projections for the Dutch Wadden Sea During the 21 st Century

by Patrick Kiden and Kim M Cohen

Interaction of Holocene coastal evolution and fluvial dynamics in the Rhine-Meuse delta, The Netherlands

Quaternary International, 2006

Digitaal Basisbestand Paleogeografie van de Rijn-Maas Delta : Rhine-Meuse Delta Studies’ Digital Basemap For Delta Evolution And Palaeogeography

- ENGLISH - This digital dataset and brief explanation contains an updated reconstruction of succ... more - ENGLISH - This digital dataset and brief explanation contains an updated reconstruction of successive channel belts in the subsurface of the Rhine-Meuse delta in the Netherlands. These channel belts were formed and abandoned by natural processes, starting ca. 9000 years ago, and affected by humans in the last two millennia. The channel belts are shallow-subsurface sand bodies that are important substrate architectural elements in the delta plain, both hydrologically and archeologically. Since 1999, Utrecht University has maintained a GIS system (K.M. Cohen, Utrecht University) storing the reconstruction. The mapping is based on borehole data (Utrecht University; Geological Survey of the Netherlands), lidar imagery (www.ahn.nl) and sedimentological and geomorphological principles. The dating is based on 14C, archaeological findings, historical sources and maps, and geological cross-cutting principles. See references for research history. The current version, produced in 2011-2012 is a completely revised and expanded 2.0 edition. A science valorization grant of NWO-ALW made this effort possible. UU, TNO Geological Survey of the Netherlands and Deltares supplied co-funding. This map succeeds earlier versions produced and partially revised since 2001. This shapefile is produced as a query from the original GIS (method: Berendsen, Cohen, Stouthamer, 2007). -- NEDERLANDS -- Deze dataset en beknopte toelichting bevat de reconstructie van de ontwikkeling van het netwerk van stroomgordels in de Rijn-Maas delta in het Holoceen. Vanaf 9000 jaar geleden werden nieuwe riviertakken gevormd, weer verlaten en opgevolgd door jongere takken. Ook de mens heeft de vorming van het netwerk beinvloed, in de jongste millennia. De zandbanen zijn hydrologische en archeologisch belangrijke elementen in de bovenste meters van de ondergrond van de delta. Het zijn zandige grondwatervoerende zandbanen die pakketten klei en veen in de delta versnijden. Deze vorm(d)en subtiel hogere ruggen in de van nature drassige delta, waarlangs bewoning zich concentreerde en verplaatste en van waar uit ontginning begon. Op de Universiteit Utrecht wordt sinds 1999 een GIS bijgehouden waarin de reconstructie van het riviernetwerk door de tijd wordt bijgehouden (K.M. Cohen, UU; Berendsen & Stouthamer, 2001; Berendsen, Cohen & Stouthamer, 2001; 2007). Anno 2012 baseert de kartering van beddinggordels zich op (i) boorgegevens, (ii) het actueel hoogtebestand Nederland (www.ahn.nl) en (iii) sedimentologische en geomorfologische interpretatie principes. De datering ervan volgt met name uit (i) 14C dateringen, (ii) archeologische vondst complexen, (iii) historische bronnen, en (iv) geologische versnijdingsprincipes. De hier gedeponeerde versie is geproduceerd in 2011-2012. Het betreft een volledige herziening en aanzienlijke uitbreiding van het eerder gekarteerde gebied. Een valorisatie subsidie van NWO-ALW, aangevuld met financiering vanuit UU, TNO Geologische Dienst van Nederland en Deltares, hebben het herzieningsproject mogelijk gemaakt. De kaart volgt eerdere publieke versies (uit 2001) en interne versies van de UU (2003-2007) op. -- REFERENCES -- Earlier versions / research history: -Berendsen, H.J.A. & Stouthamer, E. (2000: Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 161: 311-335), -Berendsen, H.J.A., Cohen, K.M. & Stouthamer, E. (2001: Maps and Cross-sections, Chapter and addendums in Berendsen & Stouthamer, 2001: Palaeogeographic development of the Rhine-Meuse delta, The Netherlands, Assen: Koninklijke Van Gorcum, 268 p.), -Berendsen, H.J.A., Cohen, K.M. & Stouthamer, E. (2007: International Journal of GIS, 21:589-602). Actual version: -K.M. Cohen, E. Stouthamer (2012) VERNIEUWD DIGITAAL BASISBESTAND PALEOGEOGRAFIE VAN DE RIJN-MAAS DELTA. Beknopte toelichting bij het Digitaal Basisbestand Paleogeografie van de Rijn-Maas Delta. Dept. Fysische Geografie. Univ. Utrecht. -K.M. Cohen, E. Stouthamer, H.J. Pierik, A.H. Geurts (2012) Digitaal Basisbestand Paleogeografie van de Rijn-Maas Delta / Rhine-Meuse Delta Studies’ Digital Basemap for Delta Evolution and Palaeogeography. Dept. Physical Geography. Utrecht University. Digital Dataset. http://persistent-identifier.nl/?identifier=urn:nbn:nl:ui:13-nqjn-zl

Digital Basemap for the Lower Meuse Valley Palaeogeography : Digitaal Basisbestand Paleogeografie van het Maasdal

Archeologische verwachtingskaart uiterwaarden rivierengebied

Dit rapport betreft het project archeologische verwachtingskaart uiterwaarden rivierengebied (‘UI... more Dit rapport betreft het project archeologische verwachtingskaart uiterwaarden rivierengebied (‘UIKAV 2014’), uitgevoerd door Deltares, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen en Universiteit Utrecht, in opdracht van Rijkswaterstaat en de Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed. Het rapport en de bijbehorende producten (een archeologische verwachtingskaart, met onderliggende databases, basiskaarten en documentatie op detailniveau in catalogusvorm, en verdere digitale bijlagen) bieden een overzicht van in de uiterwaarden van het Nederlandse riviergebied te verwachten archeologie. Het doel van het project was het maken van een gedetailleerde, tijd-specifieke, archeologische verwachtingskaart voor de uiterwaarden. Er zijn een aantal eisen gesteld aan dit product. Een belangrijke eis was dat de nieuwe archeologische kennis en gegevens zoals opgedaan en verzameld binnen het programma Ruimte voor de Rivier met dit product zouden worden geborgd. Daarnaast was een eis dat de kaart een transparant en repr...

Long term river evolution and fluvial dynamics

Edited by: Martin Stokes, Alberto Gomes and Pedro Cunha Conference convenors: Pedro Cunha, Jorge ... more Edited by: Martin Stokes, Alberto Gomes and Pedro Cunha Conference convenors: Pedro Cunha, Jorge Dinis (Universidade de Coimbra), António Martins (Universidade de Évora), Alberto Gomes (Universidade do Porto), Martin Stokes (University of Plymouth) and Geert-Jan Vis (VU University Amsterdam/TNO Geological Survey of the Netherlands). Cover photo by Jorge Gouveia (AEAT) Vila Velha de Rodão, Portugal 5-10 September, 2010

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Variability in internal architecture of channel belts in the Rhine-Meuse delta, the Netherlands

The Rhine–Meuse delta is a product of frequent flooding and occasional avulsion of its rivers, wi... more The Rhine–Meuse delta is a product of frequent flooding and occasional avulsion of its rivers, with last major avulsions evolving in the first millennium AD. Since the 12th century all branches of the delta are embanked, protecting former floodplain from flooding. The dikes flank the channels and remaining floodplain of the youngest generations of rivers, but overlie sandy channel belts of older generations. In assessment of safety of dikes, that have been raised and broadened to withstand extreme floods of millennial recurrence, not just the dike but also its deltaic substrate is of importance. At locations where strong, high embankments overlie a channel belt sand body, risen water tables of the embanked river drive groundwater flow and pressure gradients underneath the dike. In places, can trigger upwards bursts of seepage water at the protected side of the dike connecting groundwater in sandy strata at depth to surface waters (ditches). If such seepage-pathways are established a...

Pleistocene PaleoDEMs for GIA modelling and ice age palaeogeography of the North Sea Basin

Holocene sediment budgets of the Rhine Delta (The Netherlands): a record of changing sediment delivery

IAHS-AISH publication, 2006

Holocene sedimentation in the Rhine-Meuse Delta is facilitated by sea-level rise and tectonics, b... more Holocene sedimentation in the Rhine-Meuse Delta is facilitated by sea-level rise and tectonics, but most important is the result of the sediment flux received through rivers from the hinterland. The majority of Rhine and Meuse sediment entering the delta was trapped between the apex and coastal barrier, at least during the Middle and Late Holocene. It is not known how much sediment was delivered to the delta over longer periods of time (>100 years), or how delivery rates vary over millennial time scales. Increased amounts of sedimentation owing to human land-use change (on top of climatic variability) are expected, but so far it has not been possible to quantify that impact or to establish since when it has been significant. Based on a multitude of subsurface data (borehole database, complementary digital maps, radio-carbon dates), deposited volumes for successive 1000-year time slices spanning the Holocene have been calculated.

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Archeologische verwachtingskaart uiterwaarden rivierengebied : UIKAV 2014

Dit is de volledige digitale dataset bij het project ‘Archeologische verwachtingskaart uiterwaard... more Dit is de volledige digitale dataset bij het project ‘Archeologische verwachtingskaart uiterwaarden rivierengebied’, uitgevoerd door Deltares, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen en Universiteit Utrecht, in opdracht van Rijkswaterstaat en de Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed. De totstandkoming en documentatie van de dataset is gerapporteerd in: K.M. Cohen, S. Arnoldussen, G. Erkens, Y.T. van Popta, L.J. Taal (2014) ARCHEOLOGISCHE VERWACHTINGSKAART UITERWAARDEN RIVIERENGEBIED. Deltares Rapport 1207078 + Bijlagen + Digitale bijlagen. De dataset omvat (i) digitale kaart- en database-producten, die het projectgebied definieren en de fysisch geografische en archeologische gegevensbasis ontsluiten (00_Projectgebieddefinitie; 10_Basiskaarten_Landschap; 20_Basiskaarten_Archeologie). Dit betreft een geologische-geomorfologische kartering van de uiterwaarden ('landschapsouderdom') en de inventaris aan archeologische gegevens (vondsten, beschermde terreinen, aandachtsgebieden) uit landeli...

A Lower Rhine flood chronology based on the sedimentary record of an abandoned channel fill

The Bienener Altrhein is an abandoned channel of the Lower Rhine (Germany). Following a late 16th... more The Bienener Altrhein is an abandoned channel of the Lower Rhine (Germany). Following a late 16th century abandonment event, the channel was disconnected from the main stream and the oxbow lake gradually filled with 8 meters of flood deposits. This process still continues today. During annual floods, a limited proportion of overbank discharge is routed across the oxbow lake. Large floods produce individual flood layers, which are visually recognized in the sedimentary sequence. Based on the sedimentary characteristics of these event layers, we created a 450-year flood chronology for the Lower Rhine. Laser-diffraction grain size measurements were used to assess relative flood magnitudes for individual flood event layers. Continuous sampling at a 2 cm interval provided a high-resolution record, resolving the record at an annual scale. Standard descriptive techniques (e.g., mean grain size, 95th percentile, % sand) and the more advanced ‘end member modelling’ were applied to zoom in on...

Geologische en geomorfologische evolutie van de Rijn-Maas-delta gedurende het Holoceen en Laat-Pleistoceen

Unravelling mixed sediment signals in the floodplains of the Rhine catchment using end member modelling of grain size distributions

During sediment transport downstream, river systems mix sediments from different parts of their c... more During sediment transport downstream, river systems mix sediments from different parts of their catchments. During deposition, sediments are often unmixed again in different depositional environments (facies). During fluvial transport, between erosion and deposition of sediment, the sediment is sorted too. Sediment released by erosion during agricultural practises may be different than the sediments that erode under conditions of forest cover. If this is true, the Late Holocene floodplain sediments have different characteristics in terms of grain size and texture than older floodplain deposits (Middle Holocene). For this study, we used an end-member modelling algorithm EMMA, which is frequently used on for instance deep marine sediment cores and loess-paleosol sequences to unravel different source of sediment input. We collected 15 cores from three large stretches along the trunk Rhine River: the Upper Rhine Graben, the Lower Rhine Valley, and the Rhine Delta. On a local sale, grain...

Aardwetenschappelijk onderzoek Domplein 2011 en 2013

Aanleiding: Tussen 1 juli en 14 september 2011 is in opdracht van Initiatief Domplein een proefon... more Aanleiding: Tussen 1 juli en 14 september 2011 is in opdracht van Initiatief Domplein een proefonderzoek uitgevoerd op het Domplein te Utrecht. Het onderzoek vond plaats in het noordelijke deel van de voormalige werkput XIX die in 1949 aangelegd was onder leiding van prof. A.E. van Giffen van het Biologisch en Archeologisch Instituut (BAI) te Groningen. De put lag ter plaatse van het in 1674ingestorte schip van de Dom.De hoofddoelstelling van het onderzoek was informatie verkrijgen over de mogelijkheden tot het duurzaam behoud van de archeologische waarden van het rijksmonument Domplein bij de realisatie van het bezoekerscentrum Schatkamer II (het huidige DOMunder). Om daarnaast ook informatie te verkrijgen die nodig was voor de mogelijke inrichting van de ondergrondse ruimte en het beleefbaar maken van de archeologische resten en bodemprofielen, is er ook inhoudelijk naar de profielen gekeken. Bijdrage M van Dinter & K.M. Cohen: In 2011 en in 2013 is bij gelegenheid op de bodem van...

Evolution of Holocene tidal systems along the Dutch coast: effects of rivers, coastal boundary conditions, eco-engineering species, inherited relief and human interference

Intercomparing the boundaries of the youngest two interglacials : Base MIS1 vs Base MIS5e, Base Holocene vs Base Last Interglacial, Base Middle Holocene vs Base Eemian

The two youngest interglacials, the current Holocene and the Last Interglacial, are very widely g... more The two youngest interglacials, the current Holocene and the Last Interglacial, are very widely geologically studied. Dating techniques such as radiocarbon (for the Holocene) and Uranium/Thorium (for the Last Interglacial) allow quite precise numeric dating. Annually layered sequences, such as the Greenland ice core records (for the Holocene) and varved sequences (for the Last Interglacial) provide further dating control, especially where estimating durations is involved. Correlation techniques and event-stratigraphy (whether short-lived climatic events, volcanic eruptions or other semi-instantaneous events such as sea-level jumps) provide yet further control. In this presentation, we will compare the currently used chronostratigraphic divisions for the Termination I and the Holocene to those in use for Termination II and the Last Interglacial. Three important events in the former are [1]: • Base MIS1, at maximum change of benthic δ18O within Termination I, c. 14.7 ka • Base Holocen...

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Archeologische Landschappenkaart van Nederland

Het betreft de volledige digitale dataset van het project ‘Archeologische Landschappenkaart van N... more Het betreft de volledige digitale dataset van het project ‘Archeologische Landschappenkaart van Nederland’ , onderdeel van het programma Kenniskaart Archeologie van de Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed (RCE). Het project is uitgevoerd van november 2013 tot en met mei 2015 door medewerkers van de afdeling Landschap en de afdeling Archeologie van de Rijksdienst. De kaart maakt de landschappelijke en hiermee verbonden archeologische diversiteit van Nederland inzichtelijk. Het kaartbeeld is zowel landschappelijk als archeologisch relevant en betekenisvol op nationale schaal. Anders geformuleerd: de op de Archeologische Landschappenkaart afgebeelde ruimtelijke eenheden (landschappen en landschapszones) zijn ook uit archeologische oogpunt onderscheidend. Op de Archeologische Landschappenkaart worden 26 landschappen onderscheiden en daarbinnen landschapszones. Deze zoneringen zijn niet alleen gebaseerd op landschappelijke kenmerken, maar ook op verwachte archeologische verschillen. Ze...

Holocene peat in the Netherlands

Peat comes in many kinds. Within the Holocene of the Netherlands, various types of deltaic, coast... more Peat comes in many kinds. Within the Holocene of the Netherlands, various types of deltaic, coastal and lagoonal peat are recognised. Over adjacent inlands even more types are known. We can look at them with ecological eyes (plant species, nutrient availability), hydrological eyes (maintaining their own local groundwater table, or obeying a regional one), with the eyes of miners, farmers and builders (opportunity for fuel and need for drainage and foundations), or with the eyes of palaeogeographers (past marshes, swamps, cushions, away from active sedimentary systems).

Floods of the Past, Design of Tomorrow - Project Introduction

A joint research project (two PhD’s, 2016-2020) has been granted to Utrecht University and the Un... more A joint research project (two PhD’s, 2016-2020) has been granted to Utrecht University and the University of Twente, on the topic of detailed hydraulic modelling of selected largest-known historic river floods affecting the Lower Rhine valley and delta (The Netherlands and adjacent Germany). Besides the abstract authors, a wide group of advisors from academic, engineering and river management (government) positions takes part in the project, that contributes to the Water Safety theme. Design standards for flood protection in deltas require magnitude estimates of extreme (millennial) floods. For the Rhine River, design discharges of 16,000 to 18,000 m3/s are considered appropriate (upper) values (for the station at the Dutch-German border). However, annual peak discharge obser-vational records are insufficiently long, and the actual recurrence times of the adopted design values that result from statistical extrapolation are quite uncertain. In recent years, major advances have been ...

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Sedimentary architecture and landforms of the late Saalian (MIS 6) ice sheet margin offshore of the Netherlands

Earth Surface Dynamics

Reconstructing the growth and decay of palaeo-ice sheets is critical to understanding the relatio... more Reconstructing the growth and decay of palaeo-ice sheets is critical to understanding the relationships between global climate and sea-level change and to testing numerical ice sheet models. In this study, we integrate recently acquired high-resolution 2D seismic reflection and borehole datasets from two wind-farm sites offshore of the Netherlands to investigate the sedimentary, geomorphological, and glaciotectonic records left by the Saalian Drenthe substage glaciation, when Scandinavian land ice reached its southernmost extent in the southern North Sea (ca. 160 ka, Marine Isotope Stage 6). A complex assemblage of glaciogenic sediments and glaciotectonic structures is buried in the shallow subsurface. The northern wind-farm site revealed a set of NE-SW-oriented subglacial meltwater channels filled with till and glaciofluvial sediments and an E-W-trending composite ridge with local evidence of intense glaciotectonic deformation that denotes the maximum limit reached by the ice. Based on the identified glacial geomorphology, we refine the mapping of the maximum ice sheet extent offshore, revealing that the ice margin morphology is more complex than previously envisaged and displaying a lobate shape. Ice retreat left an unusual paraglacial landscape characterised by the progressive infilling of topographic depressions carved by ice-driven erosion and a diffuse drainage network of outwash channels. The net direction of outwash was to the west and southwest into a nearby glacial basin. We demonstrate the utility of offshore wind-farm data as records of process-form relationships preserved in buried landscapes, which can be utilised in refining palaeo-ice sheet margins and informing longer-term drivers of change in low-relief settings.

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Kim M Cohen

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