Comment: Fluvial incision and channel downcutting as a response to Late-glacial and Early Holocene climate change: the lower reach of the River Meuse (Maas), The Netherlands

Reply: Fluvial incision and channel downcutting as a response to Late-glacial and Early Holocene climate change: the lower reach of the River Meuse (Maas) The Netherlands

“…In their comment on our contribution on Late-glacial dynamics of the River Meuse, Kasse et al (1999) question the validity of our 14 C data and disagree on our reconstruction of Late-glacial gradient lines and interpretations concerning the presence and age of a transitional river system in the North Limburg study area. Before discussing the details, we first address the comments in their first paragraph, in which Kasse et al wonder why we reinvestigated the Meuse valley in North Limburg and came up with a new interpretation.…”

“…Because some major discrepancies could not be reconciled with previous interpretations of Kasse et al (1995) and Huisink (1997Huisink ( , 1998Huisink ( , 1999, we published a different interpretation for the same area. The following sections will present our thoughts to address the criticism of Kasse et al (1999), which in our view is not always justified. 14 C dating of bulk samples Kasse et al (1999) legitimately refer to the hardwater and reservoir effects that are inherent to bulk 14 C dates obtained from (partly) calcareous gyttja deposits.…”

“…The following sections will present our thoughts to address the criticism of Kasse et al (1999), which in our view is not always justified. 14 C dating of bulk samples Kasse et al (1999) legitimately refer to the hardwater and reservoir effects that are inherent to bulk 14 C dates obtained from (partly) calcareous gyttja deposits. With these ageing effects, they illustrate their doubts of our entire chronostratigraphical framework and subsequent interpretations.…”

“…The original section on 14 C chronostratigraphy indicates that we were fully aware of the ageing effects during interpretation of our bulk 14 C results. Kasse et al (1999) state that 'a combination of pollen analytical results and bulk 14 C dates can give a more reliable estimate of the obtained radiocarbon ages'. From the former part, we conclude that an independent set of complementary 14 C dates was actually most welcome, because it enables the reader to critically evaluate the pollen stratigraphy as well.…”

“…We extensively discussed those cases that did not match in order to provide the readers with food for thought to construct their own interpretation. Thus, the statement of Kasse et al (1999) in their first and last paragraph that 'pollen analyses % have hardly been used' is simply not true. Our dates should be considered as providing independent and complementary information to their pollen stratigraphy.…”