The ongoing ecological conversion of mountain forests in the Erzgebirge conceptually also requires a historical perspective on the very long-term vegetation and land-use dynamics. We collected and evaluated 121 pollen diagrams. Pollen indications of a local prehistoric human impact also in the higher altitudes find archaeological parallels in the region. The pollen data show that immediately before the medieval clearing, forests were mainly dominated by beech and fir and complemented by spruce.

Loess–palaeosol sequences (LPSs) represent continental and non-aquatic archives providing detailed information on Quaternary environmental and climate changes. We present an integrative approach combining sedimentological, rock magnetic, and bulk geochemical data, as well as information on Sr and Nd isotope composition. The approach adds to a comprehensive understanding of LPS formation including changes in dust composition and associated circulation patterns during Quaternary climate changes.

During glacial times in Switzerland, glaciers of the Alps excavated valleys in low-lying regions that were later filled with sediment or water. How glaciers eroded these valleys is not well understood because erosion occurred near ice margins where ice moved slowly and was present for short times. Erosion is linked to the speed of ice and to water flowing under it. Here we present a model that estimates the location of water channels beneath the ice and links these locations to zones of erosion.

Research in loess landscapes provides evidence for the paleoenvironmental settings for past human societies and for the paleoclimate evolution of the past. Archeological and geoscientific investigations must consider different relief settings due to erosion, slope wash, accumulation of sediments and relocation of artifacts. The Lower Rhine Embayment can serve as a blueprint for such research as a typical loess landscape of Central Europe.

This study presents a palaeoenvironmental record from Lake Höglwörth, Bavaria, Germany. Before 870 CE peat deposits existed. Erosion increased from 1240 to 1380 CE, followed by aquatic productivity and anoxia from 1310 to 1470 CE. Increased allochthonous input and a substantial shift in the aquatic community in 1701 were caused by construction of a mill. Recent anoxia has been observed since the 1960s.

This study aims to reconstruct the last glaciation of the southern Black Forest. Ice-marginal positions in this region were, for the first time, directly dated. Glacier retreat from the last glaciation maximum position was probably underway no later than 21 ka. Re-advances and/or standstills of glaciers (no later than 17–16 ka, 15–14 ka and 13 ka) punctuated the subsequent trend towards ice-free conditions.