How Much of the Netherlands is Below Sea Level?

Is it one quarter? One half? Three quarters? The whole country? Amazingly, many Dutch people, including some Dutch agencies, don’t really know. This video explains how the Netherlands keeps its citizens’ feet dry, offers two theories about the general confusion, and answers the question about how much of the country is below sea level-for the time being. What the Netherlands will look like in the future is a question Dr. Poldergeist will explore in an upcoming video.
Sources:
NAP Foundation--see their statement in English before it's removed! The Dutch language counterpart has already been deleted (but we have a screenshot).
www.normaalamsterdamspeil.nl/...
Interview with Dutch Consul General in Miami
news.wgcu.org/2017-07-12/i-wa...
Error in the 2007 IPCC report about how much of the Netherlands is below sea level.
www.reuters.com/article/us-cl...
Deltares, Strategies for adapting to higher and accelerated sea level rise (in Dutch)
publications.deltares.nl/1120...
Special thanks to:
Matthijs Bouw, One Architecture and Urbanism
Lieke Brackel, TU Delft
Marjolijn Haasnoot, Deltares
Maarten Kleinhans, Utrecht University
Patrick Nederkorn, Comedian and Moderator
Henk Nieboer, Adaelta

[@harmannusmenninga6189]

The problem in calculating the part below sea level is in the definition. Do you take high tide, low tide or average sea level? The zero level (NAP) is defined as high tide in the harbour of Amsterdam when it still had tidal water. The high tide att the coast is around 1m above NAP. This is usually the level used to calculate the part of the country below sea level. Sea level rise increases this number. You can also define the part below sea level as part of the population who lives below sea level. My guess is that 26% of the land area is below NAP, 50% is below 1m above NAP, and 80% of the population lives below 1m above sea level. It is unlikely somebody ever said that 100% is below sea level.

[@climateweekatpenn6910]

Many thanks for taking the time to comment on the video. To your last point, you can actually hear a recording of Nathalie Olijslager, former Dutch Consul General in Miami, saying that 80% of the Netherlands is below sea level and "actually it's 100%." Here's a link to the interview: news.wgcu.org/2017-07-12/i-was-born-below-sea-level-outgoing-dutch-consul-general-talks-sea-level-rise-at-home-in-sofla. Somewhat related to this is a statement that the Delta Commissioner Peter Glas made over the weekend: In principle, not just 60% but all of the Netherlands is vulnerable to flooding. But that's no exaggeration. pointer.kro-ncrv.nl/wonen-in-water

[@jaapevers7832]

Loved it, looking forward to more prof. Poldergeist!

[@sebbink181]

Great topic: "there is more going on than meets the eye". Much looking fwd to your next chapters unpacking this puzzle !!

[@jooproos6559]

Well,when you look at the state of the water in the Netherlands at the end of last year,there was some flooding going on in the Netherlands.But that was from the enormous amount off water in the rivers,not from the sea.So when the rain stopt it was automatically fast over.

[@Alssdkdf-Afwefjsdkjf]

What a fun little video. Can't wait to see more!

[@edwin.jansen]

The official percentage is probably a political discussion at the moment with all the debate on ‘environment’. In general you can say in the Netherlands that if you live on clay you are below sea level and if you live on sand you are above sea level. Most of the sand areas are former dune landscape like the national parks of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, De Veluwe and the Veluwe zoom and areas like around Arnhem and Nijmegen and the Sallandse Heuvelrug and of course almost the whole of the Limburg province. So I think 50 to 55% sounds about right.

[@BertSonnenschein]

I think people are confusing "below sea level" with below "natural freatic ground water level" so 66% polder land is probable correct, but not all polders are below sea level.

[@professorpoldergeist]

You are correct, Bert. But it is important for government agencies to be accurate in their statements. Lately, I'm hearing and seeing much more accurate language in official statements. Perhaps our video had some impact?

[@masfiqratul7559]

😂😂 When I was in RWTH Aachen .. Aachen , Germany is a City Next to Netherlands .... my polish Friend used to joke about our Dutch Friend "Do you know the highest Point of Netherlands ?" He answered "Is in Saba " Polish Friend told "Wrong , One Average Dutch People is the Highest Point of Netherlands 😂 "

[@VFella]

Another of these clichés about the Dutch. Our male average is the same as in most other European countries. Which speaks to reason, as we do not live in some far away valley in the Himalayas, but in the very middle of the European continent, and it is not exactly that we haven't been invaded by everybody and the dog, and done our own invading too. So, unless there is some UFO technology from Area 512 involved, or one firmly believes that there is some magical-mistery forcefield surrounding nations states, there is no real reason for why the Dutch should be taller or shorter than the average German, French or Belgian.

[@edwin.jansen]

If the stand on the Drielandenpunt near Aken they sure are! 😂

[@FrankHeuvelman]

Tree houses. There, I said it.

[@wimschoenmakers5463]

Nobody claims that our country is 100% below sea level!😂

[@professorpoldergeist]

Dear Wim, I would agree with you if it weren't for the former consul general of the Netherlands in Miami, Nathalie Olijslager. She literally says, "There is a whole country below sea level. It's actually 80%, but it's really almost our whole country." (What percentage she means by "almost" isn't clear, but sounds like it would be close to 100%.) You would think that a consul general in the Dutch foreign service would be better informed. I hope she's seen the video. You can listen to the interview with her here: news.wgcu.org/2017-07-12/i-was-born-below-sea-level-outgoing-dutch-consul-general-talks-sea-level-rise-at-home-in-sofla.

[@emiel1976ep]

The reason is simple. It is from a perspective of people that live in Holland! No that is not the same as the Netherlands, but just 2 provinces of the country! They, and especially the people in North Holland, think that the Netherlands is north Holland and noting else! Especially the people in Amsterdam think that Amsterdam is the Netherlands! Personally I can't wait till the sea level rises and the dikes break. Then I live closer to the sea!

[@faithchristopher1742]

God created the Netherlands. The dutch has the responsibility for the efforts, God will indeed save it!

[@markknoop6283]

If you take everything away that we elevated above sea-level you probably and up whit the given percentage.

[@qaifkhan5309]

If the Netherlands wants to save its land then the Dutch government should plant as many native trees in their country as possible. The trees take water from the land and hold the land firmly by their roots. There is no better natural way than mangroves to save the land lost in the sea, and the Netherlands will have to import sand from Arab countries. At least one thousand tons of sand should be imported to the Netherlands every year in large ships and coconut trees should be planted on the shores of the Netherlands. (Suggestion from Pakistan)

[@dutchman7623]

And let's hope climate change is rapid, so the palm and mangrove trees are kept warm enough to survive.

[@taand4725]

I've seen you post the exact same in a different video. It's ridiculous.

[@annebokma4637]

The Dutch are tradesmen, if you want to sell your knowledge make the results bigger

[@TRENTBLOVE30]

This went from being insightful to dumb and 8 seconds

[@imaginegettingthat.99slopp7]

liars har har

[@fryfrysk]

The objective and official dutch standard is NAP ( Normal Amsterdam Level ), which is zero based on the average level of the North sea ( high tide and low tide measured on annual basis) . This is for decades in use by Rijkswaterstaat, the governmental department for nationwide watermanagement. On that official basis 26 % of the country is below NAP : the lowest point is even 6;78 meters below NAP ( near Rotterdam) and the highest over 322 meters above NAP. Your interpretation of wrong government statistics is a total nonsense as all information can be found for decades on official websites of Rijkswaterstaat: the various official regional watermanagement organisations ( Waterschappen ) who all monitor sea level developments. All water is pumped out to sea by several eletrical large pumping stations ; by using low tide or natural river flows towards the sea. Back up is provided by the largest steam pumping station of the world ( Ir.D.F Woudagemaal , built in 1920 ) and is able to pump over 6 mio liters a minute towards the sea . Still in use ( at least 2 times a year for training and maintanance and 1 to 3 times in case of severe heavy rain and is run by group of volunteer engineers.

[@professorpoldergeist]

Thanks for your feedback. I have no disagreement with the official statistics, but it is a matter of record that the websites of some government agencies and other institutions (the NAP foundation for instance) listed erroneous information. Please check the links in the information that accompanies the video. And please listen to the then consul general of the Netherland in Miami, Nathalie Olijslager, boast that 80% of the country is below sea level. I like to think that our video contributed to the impulse to make sure that government statistics are now uniformly (more or less) correct. I have to say that I still regularly hear government spokespeople claim that one third of the Netherlands is below NAP. But I forgive them.