This collection comprises of text, spreadsheet and GIS data from The Unpath'd Waters Palaeolandscapes Data Package, which was compiled from multiple sources between 2016 and 2024 and serves as the foundation for the palaeolandscape features represented in the simulation model for work package 3.3 Land Beneath the Sea.
The data package has been developed to facilitate access to a broad range of datasets covering the Late Pleistocene to Holocene submerged landscapes of the southern North Sea. Users are strongly encouraged to access the original datasets whenever possible.
The collection includes several shapefiles covering the UK and Dutch southern North Sea from the Latest Pleistocene to the Early Holocene, a time when the southern North Sea was a terrestrial environment. The shapefiles include a Palaeolandscape Features file and a Peat Occurrence file, which depict channels, lakes, and estuaries derived from various sources. These sources include the North Sea Palaeolandscapes project, research and seismic mapping conducted at the Submerged Landscapes Research Centre at the University of Bradford (such as the ERC-funded Europe’s Lost Frontiers project), and information from open-access windfarm reports and datasets.
Most features are "negative," such as palaeochannels, representing depressions in the landscape, and are included in the shapefile Unpath’d Waters Palaeolandscape Features. Positive features (e.g., high ground) are stored in a separate shapefile, Unpath’d Waters Positive Palaeolandscape Features. Features not derived from seismic data were digitized from maps in open-access reports or academic publications. Where original files were unavailable, data was georeferenced and digitized.
The collection of external data and digitization of raw geophysical information was completed in stages as new data became available. Features were merged into a single layer with a standardized attribute table that includes attributes such as type, relative age, source, and access date. Additionally, the collection includes archaeological finds and research boreholes from the Submerged Landscapes Research Centre, along with references to other datasets. These resources can be integrated to visualize and study the submerged landscape of the southern North Sea.
