Abstract The fine sediment distribution in the seabed is an important indicator for the ecological functioning of shallow coastal seas. In this paper, we investigate the processes and conditions that determine the fine sediment distribution in the Dutch coastal zone surficial seabed, while also assessing the response of the system to human interventions. An extensive sediment dataset, collected in the Dutch coastal zone from 2006 to 2014, is presented. These data are used to map the distribution of fines in the seabed of the DCZ at unique spatiotemporal scales. For the entire Dutch coastal zone, the distribution of fines generally agrees well with previous studies. The recent extension of the Port of Rotterdam, the Maasvlakte 2 reclamation, was found to locally change the distribution of fines. In the sand mining pit and directly south of the reclamation, fines percentages in the seabed increased by more than 10%. We developed a conceptual framework to analyse the distribution of fines and how it is affected by human interventions. Three components are distinguished within this framework: (1) sources of fines; (2) transport pathways; and (3) accumulation potential. These components are determined both qualitatively and quantitatively, based on high-resolution bathymetric and hydrodynamic model data. The distinction between the three components makes it possible to unravel the contributions of different human interventions to the changes in the fines distribution. In the case of Maasvlakte 2, the local increase of fines percentage in the seabed could thus be attributed to a temporary additional source of fines and enhanced accumulation potential. The high spatiotemporal resolution of the new sediment dataset proved crucial to enable development and testing of the framework to evaluate the impact of (large) engineering works on the spatial distribution of fines.

中文翻译：

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人类活动如何影响荷兰沿海地区海底细粒沉积物的分布

摘要 海床细粒沉积物分布是衡量近岸浅海生态功能的重要指标。在本文中，我们调查了确定荷兰沿海地区表层海床细粒沉积物分布的过程和条件，同时还评估了系统对人类干预的响应。展示了 2006 年至 2014 年在荷兰沿海地区收集的大量沉积物数据集。这些数据用于在独特的时空尺度上绘制 DCZ 海床中细粒的分布图。对于整个荷兰沿海地区，罚款的分布与以前的研究基本吻合。鹿特丹港最近扩建的 Maasvlakte 2 填海工程被发现在当地改变了罚款的分布。在采砂坑和填海区正南面，海床中的细粉百分比增加了 10% 以上。我们开发了一个概念框架来分析罚款的分布以及它如何受到人为干预的影响。在这个框架内区分了三个组成部分：(1) 罚款的来源；(2) 运输途径；(3) 积累潜力。根据高分辨率测深和流体动力学模型数据，定性和定量地确定这些组件。这三个组成部分之间的区别可以揭示不同的人为干预对罚款分布变化的贡献。在 Maasvlakte 2 的情况下，因此，海床中局部细粒百分比的增加可归因于细粒的临时额外来源和增加的积累潜力。事实证明，新沉积物数据集的高时空分辨率对于开发和测试框架以评估（大型）工程工作对细粒空间分布的影响至关重要。