Why is the Netherlands disappearing underwater?

00:04:41
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVsLDWBCK_E

Zusammenfassung

TLDRThe video provides an insightful overview of how the Netherlands has historically battled water and flooding through engineering feats. Much of the country lies below sea level, leading to the necessity of reclaiming land from the sea using polders—areas created using dikes, drainage canals, and pumping stations. Notable projects include the Afsluitdijk, which protected areas by sealing off the Zuiderzee, and the Delta Works, a massive network of flood defenses declared one of the modern world's seven wonders. In response to past floods and increasing sea levels, the "Room for the River" initiative promotes flood management by creating natural waterways. These efforts have prevented about 65% of the Netherlands from being submerged during high tide. Future innovations include energy-neutral dikes and eco-friendly measures like reduced concrete usage and solar power.

Mitbringsel

  • 🌊 Most of the Netherlands is below sea level, requiring substantial flood defense systems.
  • 🏞️ Polders are reclaimed land areas made possible through dikes and drainage.
  • 🚧 The Afsluitdijk was a major project to protect low-lying areas from the sea.
  • 🏗️ The Delta Works are a globally recognized engineering marvel protecting against floods.
  • 🌿 The "Room for the River" project allows rivers to flood controlled areas to prevent greater disasters.
  • 🌱 Catchment areas absorb river water and serve as wildlife sanctuaries.
  • 🔨 New techniques in dike strengthening aim to use less concrete and adopt renewable energy.
  • 📉 Innovations have significantly reduced the potential land underwater at high tide by 65%.
  • ⚡ Future projects include energy-neutral flood defenses with solar compensation.
  • 🇳🇱 The Dutch experience in water management offers valuable lessons for global coastal defenses.

Zeitleiste

  • 00:00:00 - 00:04:41

    The Netherlands, mostly below sea level, has reclaimed 20% of its land from water through sea defenses. Known for polders, the Dutch create them by building dikes, canals, and using windmills for drainage. Despite success, the 1916 flood led to the Afsluitdijk project, a major engineering effort to separate the Zuiderzee from the sea, forming a freshwater lake Ijsselmeer. This innovation helped during the 1953 flood, prompting the Delta Works to enhance water management. Post-1993 floods, the Netherlands invested in the Room for the River project to work with water via natural floodplains, significantly mitigating flooding risks. As sea levels rise, innovative energy-efficient solutions like reinforced blocks and new pumps ensure sustained protection. The Dutch remain leaders in water management, with the phrase "God created the world, but the Dutch created the Netherlands" encapsulating their achievements.

Mind Map

Video-Fragen und Antworten

  • How much of the Netherlands is below sea level?

    Most of the Netherlands is below sea level.

  • What are polders?

    Polders are low-lying areas of land reclaimed from the sea through the building of dikes, drainage canals, and pumping stations.

  • What was the purpose of the Afsluitdijk?

    The Afsluitdijk was built to protect low-lying areas by walling off the Zuiderzee from the sea.

  • Why are the Delta Works significant?

    The Delta Works are significant infrastructure designed to protect the Netherlands from flooding and have been declared a wonder of the modern world.

  • What was the 'Room for the River' project?

    The 'Room for the River' project is an initiative in the Netherlands aimed at controlling flooding by allowing rivers to flood in certain areas rather than building barriers.

  • How does the Netherlands aim to create energy-neutral dikes?

    By adding a layer of reinforced blocks that use less concrete and implementing solar panels for energy compensation.

  • What was the impact of the 1953 flood on the Netherlands?

    The 1953 flood was devastating, causing more than 1,800 deaths and leading to the development of the Delta Works.

  • What is a catchment area?

    Catchment areas are reservoirs that absorb water from nearby rivers and often double as wildlife preserves.

  • How do Dutch engineers plan to fortify sea walls efficiently?

    By strengthening with reinforced blocks that consume less concrete and using low-energy, fish-friendly pumps.

  • What percentage of the Netherlands would be underwater without these innovations?

    Approximately 65% of the Netherlands would be underwater at high tide without these flood defense innovations.

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Untertitel
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Automatisches Blättern:
  • 00:00:00
    [Music]
  • 00:00:04
    did you know that most of the
  • 00:00:05
    netherlands is actually below sea level
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    the dutch have spent centuries building
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    large-scale sea defenses to push back
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    water and protect themselves against
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    disasters they've managed to reclaim
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    almost 20 percent of their land from the
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    sea and lakes here's how they did it the
  • 00:00:23
    netherlands is often associated with
  • 00:00:25
    polders polders are low-lying areas of
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    land that were reclaimed through the
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    building of dikes drainage canals and
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    pumping stations to create a polder the
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    dutch first needed to build a dike
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    around a section of water then they used
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    windmills to pump water out of the
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    lowlands and back into the rivers so the
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    land could be farmed today there are
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    more than 3 000 poulders nationwide that
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    accounts for about half the country's
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    land area the polders dikes and
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    windmills were mostly a success but
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    after severe flooding in 1916 the dutch
  • 00:01:00
    began work on the afsluid ditch to
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    protect low-lying areas and wall off the
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    z-wider z from the sea the sea wall was
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    one of the largest engineering feats of
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    its time spanning 20 miles in four
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    locations on the mouth of the z wider z
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    material was deposited onto the seafloor
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    until it broke through the surface rocks
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    strengthened the dike and a combination
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    of sand and clay was used to raise it to
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    its final height of 23 feet above sea
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    level it was then topped off by sand and
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    clay and held together by grass to make
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    this causeway and one of europe's
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    largest lakes shipping locks and
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    discharge sluices were built at both
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    ends of the dike as the z wider z was
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    fed by freshwater rivers and streams
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    saltwater was discharged into the sea
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    and eventually the z wider z became the
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    isilmir a shallow freshwater lake at the
  • 00:01:57
    same time the new province of
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    flavourland was reclaimed from the water
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    the affluiditch is credited with saving
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    parts of the country during a
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    devastating flood in 1953 that killed
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    more than 1800 people but radical change
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    was still needed this led to the delta
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    works a series of dams sluices locks
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    dikes levees and storm surge barriers
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    the works have been declared one of the
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    seven wonders of the modern world by the
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    american society of civil engineers they
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    also cost the country five billion
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    dollars after a series of floods in 1993
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    and 1995 the country was forced to think
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    beyond barriers and canals for water
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    management instead they invested 2.7
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    billion dollars in the room for the
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    river project the goal was to control
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    flooding by working with the water as
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    opposed to against it in the was park
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    uijin wan-sum project for example a
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    closed-off tributary was reopened to
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    mimic natural flood plains absorbing
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    water from the nearby river and ensuring
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    it didn't overflow reservoirs like this
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    are called catchment areas and often
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    double as wildlife preserves without all
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    of these innovative techniques it's
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    estimated that about 65 percent of the
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    netherlands would currently be
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    underwater at high tide
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    as sea levels continue to rise and hit
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    all-time highs there's been an increase
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    in the number of severe storms leaving
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    sea walls like the afsluidig in need of
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    strengthening to reduce the use of
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    materials and costs engineers came up
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    with a simple solution they'll
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    strengthen the seawall by adding a layer
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    of reinforced blocks along the barrier
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    which takes 35 percent less concrete to
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    produce than normal concrete blocks
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    they'll build new pumps that operate
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    with very low energy consumption and are
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    fish friendly solar panels will
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    compensate for the energy used resulting
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    in an energy neutral dyke of course the
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    netherlands isn't the only country
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    combating rising sea levels there's a
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    lot we can learn from the techniques
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    they've developed over the centuries
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    after all the dutch have a saying that
  • 00:04:13
    goes god created the world but the dutch
  • 00:04:16
    created the netherlands
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    [Music]
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    you
Tags
  • Netherlands
  • flood protection
  • polders
  • Afsluitdijk
  • Delta Works
  • Room for the River
  • reclamation
  • sea level rise
  • engineering
  • water management