Western Netherlands Research Articles

Empirical Bayesian Kriging, a Robust Method for Spatial Data Interpolation of a Large Groundwater Quality Dataset from the Western Netherlands

No single spatial interpolation method reigns supreme for modelling the precise spatial distribution of groundwater quality data. This study addresses this challenge by evaluating and comparing several commonly used geostatistical methods: Local Polynomial Interpolation (LPI), Ordinary Kriging (OK), Simple Kriging (SK), Universal Kriging (UK), and Empirical Bayesian Kriging (EBK). We applied these methods to a vast dataset of 3033 groundwater records encompassing a substantial area (11,100 km2) in the coastal lowlands of the western Netherlands. To our knowledge, no prior research has investigated these interpolation methods in this specific hydrogeological setting, exhibiting a range of groundwater qualities, from fresh to saline, often anoxic, with high natural concentrations of PO4 and NH4. The prediction performance of the interpolation methods was assessed through statistical indicators such as root means square error. The findings indicated that EBK outperforms the other geostatistical methods in forecasting groundwater quality for the five variables considered: Cl, SO4, Fe, PO4, and NH4. In contrast, SK performed worst for the species except for SO4. We recommend not using SK to interpolate groundwater quality species unless the data exhibit low spatial variation, high sample density, or evenly distributed sampling.

Accelerated biological aging six decades after prenatal famine exposure

To test the hypothesis that early-life adversity accelerates the pace of biological aging, we analyzed data from the Dutch Hunger Winter Families Study (DHWFS, N = 951). DHWFS is a natural-experiment birth-cohort study of survivors of in-utero exposure to famine conditions caused by the German occupation of the Western Netherlands in Winter 1944 to 1945, matched controls, and their siblings. We conducted DNA methylation analysis of blood samples collected when the survivors were aged 58 to quantify biological aging using the DunedinPACE, GrimAge, and PhenoAge epigenetic clocks. Famine survivors had faster DunedinPACE, as compared with controls. This effect was strongest among women. Results were similar for GrimAge, although effect-sizes were smaller. We observed no differences in PhenoAge between survivors and controls. Famine effects were not accounted for by blood-cell composition and were similar for individuals exposed early and later in gestation. Findings suggest in-utero undernutrition may accelerate biological aging in later life.

Innovative mapping of groundwater redox status and cation exchange conditions in a GIS environment

Understanding the complexities of regional groundwater quality is crucial for managing groundwater resources. Groundwater quality assessment involves investigating specific dissolved groundwater components, for example, comparing them to established standards. To fully understand all aspects of groundwater quality, one should assess composite properties, one being the redox status and another being the cation exchange condition. The first may, for example, impose a control on the degradation of organic micropollutants. While groundwater numerical indices can be easily interpolated and visualised using various GIS applications, consistently mapping the redox status and cation exchange conditions as non-numerical indices remains challenging. Furthermore, no study has yet conducted a regional-scale mapping of cation exchange classes in a GIS environment using extensive groundwater samples. To deepen our understanding of these groundwater components, we employed ArcGIS in this study to map the redox and cation exchange conditions in two stages. First, we mapped the groundwater components of interest, including Cl, SO4, SO4/Cl, Fe, NO3 and base exchanges of Na and Mg, by the most appropriate interpolation method identified by a geostatistical analysis. Then, variables were combined, and the conditional functions were used in ArcMap's Math toolbox to determine redox status or cation exchange classes. Our innovative GIS method for mapping regional redox status and cation exchange conditions was developed for 3350 groundwater sampling locations in the coastal lowlands of the Western Netherlands. The method was successful, with generally 75%–95% similarity between predicted and observed situations for most classes. The introduced method is more straightforward than others and can map other non-numerical linguistic indices like Wilcox groundwater and irrigation water classifications, as well.

Severe prenatal shocks and adolescent health: Evidence from the Dutch Hunger Winter

This paper investigates health impacts at the end of adolescence of prenatal exposure to multiple shocks, by exploiting the unique natural experiment of the Dutch Hunger Winter. At the end of World War II, a famine occurred abruptly in the Western Netherlands (November 1944–May 1945), pushing the previously and subsequently well-nourished Dutch population to the brink of starvation. We link high-quality military recruits data with objective health measurements for the cohorts born in the years surrounding WWII with newly digitised historical records on calories and nutrient composition of the war rations, daily temperature, and warfare deaths. Using difference-in-differences and triple differences research designs, we first show that the cohorts exposed to the Dutch Hunger Winter since early gestation have a higher Body Mass Index and an increased probability of being obese at age 18. We then find that this effect is partly moderated by warfare exposure and a reduction in energy-adjusted protein intake. Lastly, we account for selective mortality using a copula-based approach and newly-digitised data on survival rates, and find evidence of both selection and scarring effects. These results emphasise the complexity of the mechanisms at play in studying the consequences of early conditions.

Pest categorisation of Pochazia shantungensis.

The EFSA Panel on Plant Health performed a pest categorisation of Pochazia shantungensis (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Ricaniidae) for the EU following commodity risk assessments of Malus domestica, Prunus persica, P. dulcis and Robinia pseudoacacia plants for planting from Türkiye in which P. shantungensis was identified as a pest that could potentially enter the EU. The native range of P.shantungensis is China (Shaanxi, Shandong and Zhejiang provinces), but around 2010, the species entered the Republic of Korea and rapidly spread. Small and localised populations were also recently found in Türkiye (Marmara) and southern Russia (Krasnodyarskiy kray). Within the EU, a few individuals have been recorded in Italy (Pistoia province, Tuscany), in one locality in southern France (Alpes-Maritimes), in the Netherlands (Western Netherlands) and in one garden in Germany (Baden-Württemberg) where it was eradicated. P. shantungensis is not listed in Annex II of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/2072. It is polyphagous, feeding on plants belonging to more than 200 species including many crop and ornamental plants. Economically important hosts in the EU include apple (M. domestica), citrus (Citrus spp.), walnut (Castanea sp.) and ornamentals such as hibiscus (Hibiscus spp.) and camellia (Camellia japonica), as well as forest trees, mostly deciduous. In the Republic of Korea, the species has one generation per year. It overwinters as eggs and goes through five nymphal instars. Its impact is due to oviposition obstructing the vascular system of its hosts, depletion of the host resources and egestion of honeydew promoting the development of sooty moulds. Plants for planting constitute the main pathway for entry into the EU and for spread. Climatic conditions in southern EU countries and host plant availability in those areas would allow establishment and spread. The introduction of P. shantungensis is expected to have an economic impact in the EU through the reduction in yield, quality and commercial value of fruits and ornamental plants. Phytosanitary measures are available to reduce the likelihood of entry and further spread. P.shantungensis meets the criteria that are within the remit of EFSA to assess for it to be regarded as a potential Union quarantine pest.

Het molensterven in Nederland: een kwantitatieve en geografische benadering

The demise of mills in the Netherlands: a quantitative and geographical approach This year the Association (vereniging) De Hollandsche Molen celebrates its centenary. The association was founded to call a halt to the large-scale demolition of wind and water mills in the decades around the turn of the century. This article sketches for the first time, for the period 1850-2020, a quantitative picture of the decline of what is considered the icon of the Netherlands. A distinction is made according to type, function and region. In the description and analysis, use is made of an extensive inventory of disappeared and existing windmills. A comparison with other sources shows that this database includes most of the windmills (approximately 85-90%) that functioned in the period after 1850. For water mills this percentage is probably substantially lower. The analysis shows that industrial mills have already largely disappeared due to the introduction of steam power. Polder windmills in the western Netherlands have also disappeared in large numbers with the use of this new power source. In the Northern Netherlands, however, things were different: here, especially after the turn of the century the use of suction gas, diesel and electric motors meant the demise of the polder mill. Mills that were used for the processing of agricultural products actually still functioned in large numbers almost everywhere until the tens or even the twenties of the 20th century. When it comes to water mills, there is a distinction between mills with an industrial application and an agricultural one: the first group suffered large losses due to the introduction of steam; the second by the introduction of fossil fuel engines. The analysis shows that between 1880 and now only one in seven mills has survived the transition to industrial power sources. In addition, it is demonstrated that the current mill stock is not a representative reflection of the stock at the height of the use of mills around 1880.

Recycling Neolithic Axes: An Experiment Re-using Polished Axes as a Flint Source for the Creation of Small Tools

ABSTRACT In the western Netherlands Neolithic axes are hardly ever found in a complete state. Flint is scarce in this area and when these axes were exhausted, or when they broke during use, they were often re-used as flake cores. Vlaardingen Culture (3400–2500 BC) sites often yield large quantities of flakes and retouched tools made on polished axe fragments. Using an experimental approach, we tried to better understand the importance of recycling of these objects. For the experiments we reconstructed four so-called Buren axes. The experiments provided insights into the usefulness of broken axes as flake cores. It was also demonstrated that flakes struck from axes generally do not have a remnant of a polished surface, indicating that the importance of broken axes as flake cores has so far been underestimated. Furthermore, it was concluded that micro-debitage can successfully be studied to identify areas where broken axes were flaked.

Bicycle-Oriented Development: How the Dutch Railroad Shaped Urban Planning and Discovered Cyclists along the Way, 1960-1990

Scholars often describe the history of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) from an exclusive urban development perspective (linear or finger cities) or from a limited mobility perspective (Public Transit). In these histories, walking is described as the yardstick for a station’s catchment area. Using primary sources, this article shows how between 1960 and 1990 the Dutch railroads played a forgotten but key and unique role in enriching the TOD concept in the densely populated Western Netherlands with the bicycle as a feeder mode. This created a spatial model of a belt with compact bicycle towns along railroad lines. In the process, the railroad reinforced by local and national policies since then helped create cycling-based rather than walking-based fifteen-minute cities that generated larger catchment zones.

De aanleg van regenbakken in vroegmodern Deventer

In recent years, many old cisterns for the collection of rainwater have been discovered in Dutch cities, in particular in Amsterdam. Such rainwater cisterns were for centuries an important source of fresh water. Most date from the second half of the sixteenth century onwards. They were especially prevalent in the western provinces, where the ground and surface water were mostly unpotable due to salinization and pollution. However, rainwater cisterns are also known to have existed in the eastern parts of the country. Yet very little is known about the architectural history of these cisterns in the Netherlands, especially for the period prior to the seventeenth century. While there are archaeological reports detailing specific aspects of their construction, the historical literature focuses on the use of rainwater cisterns by households and industry. There is a general lack of written sources describing the construction of cisterns prior to the seventeenth century.
 
 This article highlights one specific historical source that has not been fully studied, namely the accounts left by the stewards of the former ecclesiastical houses in the city of Deventer. After the city became part of the Dutch Republic in 1591, the ecclesiastical houses were confiscated by the city and extensively refurbished. This included the construction of rainwater cisterns in around 1600. The accounts of these works contain valuable notes regarding the construction process and maintenance of cisterns, the use of specific materials and the hiring of specialist workmen.
 The findings from these notes, as presented in this article, can be used to complement recent archaeological findings and contemporary architectural descriptions, thus providing insights for further research. The notes confirm, for example, that these rainwater cisterns were constructed underground by the same specialist, according to a specific design, using similar materials, such as bricks known as ‘klinkaerts’, and trass to create waterproof mortar. The construction of rainwater cisterns was sometimes accompanied by roof renovations designed to enhance the rainwater collection, as illustrated by an example. Ultimately, the article aims to show the relevance of such historical sources to furthering our knowledge of the construction history of rainwater cisterns in the Netherlands, in particular in the rather underexamined eastern parts of the country. Future research could aim to synthesize such historical sources with archaeological findings in order to arrive at a more comprehensive view of rainwater cisterns and their history in both the eastern and western Netherlands.

Overweight and obesity at age 19 after pre-natal famine exposure

BackgroundWeight for height has been used in the past as an indicator of obesity to report that prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine of 1944–1945 determined subsequent obesity. Further evaluation is needed as unresolved questions remain about the possible impact of social class differences in fertility decline during the famine and because being overweight is now defined by a Body Mass Index (BMI: kg/m2) from 25 to <30 and obesity by a BMI of 30 or more.MethodsWe studied heights and weights of 371,100 men in the Netherlands born between 1943 and 1947 and examined for military service at age 19. This group includes men with and without prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine.ResultsThere was a 1.3-fold increase in the risk of being overweight or obese in young adults at age 19 after prenatal famine exposure in early gestation. The increase was only seen in sons of manual workers born in the large cities of Western Netherlands and not among those born in smaller cities or rural areas in the West. Social class differentials in fertility decline during the famine did not bias study results.ConclusionsThe long-term adverse impact of prenatal famine on later life type 2 diabetes and mortality through age 63 is already showing at age 19 in this population as a significant increase in overweight risk.

Legends of allergy and immunology: Jan E. de Vries.

Jan Egbert de Vries (Figure 1) is a cosmopolitan immunologist and an enthralling mentor with a large track record of innovative achievements in the fields of allergy and immunology. Jan was born in Strijen, a small town located in the Hollands Diep estuary in western Netherlands (NL). He spent his youth in the NL combining his studies with his passion for sports,becoming Dutch champion in decathlon. Shortly after his PhD, and like his fellow countryman Erasmus of Rotterdam, he started a long journey that brought him to France, California, Austria and Switzerland,although never settling in any of the cities he worked.Like Erasmus, he has been since an insatiable scholar (Non est ulla studiorum satietas) and an inspiring mentor for a large number of students and collaborators.

Holocene relative sea-level data for the East Frisian barrier coast, NW Germany, southern North Sea

AbstractCollecting sea-level data from restricted coastal areas is essential for understanding local effects on relative sea level. Here, a revised relative mean sea-level curve for the area of the East Frisian island Langeoog, northwestern Germany, for the time period from 7200 cal BP until Recent is presented. The revision is based on the reinterpretation of previously published and unpublished data following the HOLSEA standardisation of data handling. Altogether 68 sea-level data taken from 32 cores and outcrops from Langeoog, its back-barrier and the adjacent mainland, which have been collected since the 1950s for mapping and landscape reconstruction purposes, are presented. The age constraints, derived from radiocarbon ages of basal peat, intercalated peat and molluscs and optical dating of tidal deposits, were evaluated in terms of the HOLSEA sea-level protocol and their stratigraphic context. For 7200 cal BP until modern times, 30 sea-level index points with different uncertainty ranges were defined. Additionally, a factor of decompaction was estimated for the remaining basal peat samples as well as for the underlying sediments of intercalated peat samples.The comparison of the Langeoog relative sea-level curve with the relative sea-level curve from the western Netherlands shows that the Langeoog curve lies up to 0.80 m lower than the Dutch curve and diverges for the time before 6000 cal BP. Though the offset coincides with the overall predicted trend of glacial-isostatic adjustment, it is less than predicted.Our study provides a useful assessment of legacy data and contributes to an improved sea-level index dataset for the southern North Sea coast.

Смартспеціалізація європейських регіонів – лідерів у сфері інновацій: систематизація підходів

The article is aimed at analyzing and systematizing the approaches to determining the smart priorities of the regions of the European Union, which are leaders in innovative development, to develop recommendations for improving the process of formation of regional strategies for smart specialization in Ukraine. Smart priorities of the top 10 innovatively active regions of the EU according to the Regional Innovation Board were studied using the information provided by the European platform for smart specialization. Certain methodological problems and limitations for the analysis of regional smart specializations related to certain changes in the NUTS classification and different periods of adoption of regional strategies are identified. It is noted that smart priorities in many regions are based on the innovative development of traditional types of economic activity. It is displayed that the processing industry is most involved in the formation of regional smart specializations, also widely involved are the sectors of scientific-technical activities, information and telecommunications, transportation, and education. It is defined that a large proportion of priorities are of complex nature. This is connected with the cross-sectoral cooperation, as well as the use of horizontal-type instruments (digitalization, increasing the value of knowledge, spread of advanced technologies, focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals, social innovations). It is emphasized that the leading regions most often choose digital transformation, sustainable innovations and KETs for the goals of their smart specialization policies. The strategy of smart specialization of the Western Netherlands, which is the result of the collaboration of a number of research institutions, public and private companies and local authorities, is considered. It is concluded that when determining the priorities of Ukrainian regions, it is necessary to focus on the fore-mentioned EU goals and deepen the analysis of scientific-technological specializations of territories, as well as to formalize the role of science and education in regional strategies of smart specialization.

Evolution of Energy Landscapes: A Regional Case Study in the Western Netherlands

While the transition to renewable energy becomes a main driver of landscape change, few publications discuss the historical transformation of landscapes for the development of energy—commonly referred to as energy landscape. The research reported in this paper investigates the evolution of energy landscapes in the Western Netherlands—a region shaped by peat extraction and dotted with windmills. Five periods have been identified, dominated by wood, peat, wind, fossil fuels, and modern renewables, respectively. During each period, the landscape coevolved with the new energy source hosting new energy infrastructure. The sequence of landscape transformations over the past 10 centuries in the Western Netherlands is illustrated by means of historical paintings, photographs and a series of five georeferenced maps. Our systematic analysis confirms the long-lasting and manifold interrelations between energy development and landscape transformation at the brink of another energy transition. This paper presents the first all-encompassing application of the analytical framework for the study of energy landscapes proposed earlier. The three main qualifications—substantive, spatial, and temporal—provided a clear framework for the systematic study of landscape transformations at the regional scale.

What wetlands can teach us: reconstructing historical water-management systems and their present-day importance through GIScience

Wetland environments are amongst the most dynamic landscapes of Europe. Because of their distinct geomorphological characteristics, they are strongly susceptible for changes in climate, demography, economy and politics. At the same time, these regions reflect areas of long-term human-landscape interactions and outstanding preservation conditions. Large parts of the northern and western Netherlands can be regarded as typical examples of such wetlands. After becoming covered by vast peat marshes over time, these areas were largely reclaimed during the last millennium, which has resulted in a typical landscape consisting of polders and elaborate water-management systems (e.g. canals, dikes, fenlands). This is especially true for the western wetlands, which also are part of the delta of two of the largest European rivers, the Rhine and Meuse. In this area, processes of flooding, fluvial activity and sea-level changes have greatly influenced the landscape, resulting in a very dynamic environment for local inhabitants. Already in the Middle Ages (ad 1050–1500), elaborate organisations and hydraulic systems were set up in these parts in order to ensure water safety and promote water drainage. Through time, these organisations, the so-called waterboards, have greatly influenced the spatial layout of these wetlands and, in doing so, collected huge amounts of data on water management. For the first time, recent digital developments in geosciences and humanities allow us to diachronically unravel the complex interplay between natural and cultural dynamics in such wetlands. In this paper, we present a Historical Geographical Information System (HGIS) designed for modelling heritage in wetland areas. The HGIS specifically focuses on water-management systems in the wetlands of the western Netherlands. We show that (1) our HGIS and GIScience-methodology facilitates an integrated and multi-proxy approach towards studying historical water-management systems, and (2) the developed system is highly suited for unravelling the complex interplay and interdependencies between drainage systems, waterboards and engineering works. Additionally, it becomes clear that by combining information on the past with the present, the HGIS is an extremely useful tool for modern-day policymaking facing future challenges.

Hydrological disasters in the NW-European Lowlands during the first millennium AD: a dendrochronological reconstruction

Abstract This study presents an annually resolved dendrochronological reconstruction of hydrological impacts on the Roman and early-medieval landscape in the Low Countries of northwestern Europe. Around 600 hydrologically sensitive ring-width patterns, mostly oak (Quercus robur/petraea) as well as some ash (Fraxinus excelsior) and elm (Ulmus sp.), were selected from an initial dataset of &gt;5000 and compiled into two chronologies that span the first millennium AD. Their content and (dis)similarities to established tree-ring chronologies from this and surrounding regions were used to assess their provenance, which in both cases is in the area where the majority of the wood was recovered. Instances of high groundwater levels and/or inundation were catalogued by identifying multi-year intervals of strongly reduced annual growth that occurred simultaneously throughout the research area. The resulting record contains 164 events dated between AD 1 and 1000, of which 21 have a recurrence frequency ≥50 years. One-third of the ≥50-yr events date between AD 185 and 282, making this the most flood-intense interval of the first millennium. The severest reconstructed impact of the first millennium dates to AD 602. A comparison to historically documented river floods/sea breaches and drought/heat spells shows that the predominant cause of the inferred impacts in the research area was river overflow. Synchronous inundation responses of oaks preserved in former bogs in Lower Saxony (NW Germany) indicate that half of the reconstructed events occurred on a supra-regional level, pointing to regional precipitation as a main forcing. River floods documented in written sources do not seem to have affected tree growth in Lower Saxony in a significant manner, indicating that the majority of documented floods most likely were caused by hydrological circumstances upstream of the catchments of the Rhine and/or Meuse. Reconstructed flood impacts during the Early Middle Ages coincide remarkably well with construction and repair of Rhine revetments at the early-medieval site of Leiderdorp-Plantage in the western Netherlands.

An overview of continuation methods for non-linear model predictive control of water systems

Abstract This paper presents a new class of optimization algorithms for nonlinear hydraulic models of water systems, the so-called continuation methods. Solution stability is singled out as an necessary condition for real-life deployment of nonlinear model predictive control of water systems. The paper discusses the stability of solutions produced by traditional approaches and presents improvements of the continuation method. The method has been implemented into the software package RTC-Tools. The application of the continuation method is illustrated with the help of a case study: an operational system for the drainage of a lowland region (polder) in the Western Netherlands.

Holocene relative mean sea‐level changes in the Wadden Sea area, northern Netherlands

ABSTRACTAlthough the Netherlands has a long tradition of sea‐level research, no Holocene relative sea‐level curve is available for the north of the country. Previous studies hypothesized that the relative sea‐level reconstruction for the western Netherlands is also valid for the northern part of the country. However, glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) models predict a lower and steeper relative sea‐level curve because of greater postglacial isostatic subsidence. Long‐term data of relative sea‐level change are important to inform GIA models and understand postglacial vertical land motion related to the rebound of Fennoscandia and neotectonic activity. We compiled and evaluated a set of basal peat radiocarbon dates to reconstruct the Holocene relative mean sea‐level rise in the Dutch Wadden Sea area. For the early Holocene, this reconstruction is lower than the western Netherlands curve. After 6400 cal a BP, the curve for the Wadden Sea is statistically indistinguishable from that for the western Netherlands, a result that conflicts with GIA model results. It remains to be investigated whether the problem lies with the GIA model predictions or with the quality of the available data. Additional basal peat radiocarbon dates from suitable sites should be collected to further resolve this problem.

Migration and sociodemographic factors associated with sense of place attitudes among migrants of African background in Northern and Western Netherlands

This article investigates migration and sociodemographic factors associated with attitudes toward specific geographic settings (place attachment [PA], place identity, place dependence [PD]) in a cross‐sectional data (N = 175) of sub‐Saharan African residents in the Northern Netherlands and the Western Netherlands. Overall, it was found that scores of PA and PD were stronger in long‐term African residents (more than 5 years) than among short‐term residents (less than 5 years). The region of residence was positively related to PD, with participants in western Netherlands having stronger PD compared to those in the northern region. Language proficiency was inversely associated with PD among participants with a little knowledge of Dutch compared to those who could speak Dutch fluently. Older African residents (aged 46–55 years) were more likely to develop PA and PD than their younger counterparts (aged 18–25 years). PA scores were significantly lower for participants with a tertiary education background compared to those with a high school education or less educational attainment. PD scores were lower in females than males, and participants from Western Africa had stronger levels of PD compared to those from Central Africa. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Using tetraether lipids archived in North Sea Basin sediments to extract North Western European Pliocene continental air temperatures

The Pliocene is often regarded as a suitable analogue for future climate, due to an overall warmer climate (2–3 °C) coupled with atmospheric CO2 concentrations largely similar to present values (∼400 ppmv). Numerous Pliocene sea surface temperature (SST) records are available, however, little is known about climate in the terrestrial realm. Here we generated a Pliocene continental temperature record for Northwestern Europe based on branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraether (brGDGT) membrane lipids stored in a marine sedimentary record from the western Netherlands. The total organic carbon (TOC) content of the sediments and its stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13Corg) indicate a strong transition from primarily marine derived organic matter (OM) during the Pliocene, to predominantly terrestrially derived OM after the transition into the Pleistocene. This trend is supported by the ratio of branched and isoprenoid tetraethers (BIT index). The marine–terrestrial transition indicates a likely change in brGDGT sources in the core, which may complicate the applicability of the brGDGT paleotemperature proxy in this setting. Currently, the application of the brGDGT-based paleothermometer on coastal marine sediments has been hampered by a marine overprint. Here, we propose a method to disentangle terrestrial and marine sources based on the degree of cyclization of tetramethylated brGDGTs (#rings) using a linear mixing model based on the global soil calibration set and a newly developed coastal marine temperature transfer function. Application of this method on our brGDGT record resulted in a ‘corrected’ terrestrial temperature record (MATterr). This latter record indicates that continental temperatures were ∼12–14 °C during the Early Pliocene, and 10.5–12 °C during the Mid Pliocene, confirming other Pliocene pollen based terrestrial temperature estimates from Northern and Central Europe. Furthermore, two colder (Δ 5–7 °C) periods in the Pliocene MATterr record show that the influence of Pliocene glacials reached well into NW Europe.