Articles | Volume 74, issue 1
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-105-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Special issue:
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-105-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
20 May 2025
Research article |
| 20 May 2025
| 20 May 2025
Great transitions in Donaumoos land reclamation (Bavaria, Germany) since the late 18th century – a palaeohydrological and historical perspective
Christoph Zielhofer
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Physical Geography, Institute for Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Historical Anthropospheres Working Group, LeipzigLab, Leipzig University, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
Marie Kaniecki
Physical Geography, Institute for Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Anne Köhler
Physical Geography, Institute for Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Vera Seeburg
Institute of Prehistory, Early History and Medieval Archaeology, Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
Arnela Rollo
Physical Geography, Institute for Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
Laura Bergmann
Physical Geography, Institute for Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Stefanie Berg
Bavarian State Office for the Conservation of Historical Monuments, 80539 Munich, Germany
Barbara Stammel
Floodplain Institute Neuburg, Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt, 86633 Neuburg an der Donau, Germany
Department of Biodiversity and Species Conservation, Faculty of Landscape Architecture, Horticulture and Forestry, University of Applied Sciences Erfurt, 99085 Erfurt, Germany
Rita Gudermann
Contemporary History and Archive, Leibniz Institute for Research on Society and Space, 15537 Erkner, Germany
William J. Fletcher
School of Environment, Education and Development, The University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK
Ulrike Werban
Department of Monitoring and Exploration Technologies, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, 04318 Leipzig, Germany
Anja Linstädter
Biodiversity Research/Systematic Botany, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, 14469 Potsdam, Germany
Natascha Mehler
Institute of Prehistory, Early History and Medieval Archaeology, Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen, 72070 Tübingen, Germany
Related authors
Hans von Suchodoletz, Stefanie Berg, Eileen Eckmeier, Lukas Werther, and Christoph Zielhofer
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 237–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In this editorial, we give a short state of the art of geoarchaeology, including recent advancements and challenges, and shortly present the seven contributions to our special issue.
Monica Bini, Giovanni Zanchetta, Aurel Perşoiu, Rosine Cartier, Albert Català, Isabel Cacho, Jonathan R. Dean, Federico Di Rita, Russell N. Drysdale, Martin Finnè, Ilaria Isola, Bassem Jalali, Fabrizio Lirer, Donatella Magri, Alessia Masi, Leszek Marks, Anna Maria Mercuri, Odile Peyron, Laura Sadori, Marie-Alexandrine Sicre, Fabian Welc, Christoph Zielhofer, and Elodie Brisset
Clim. Past, 15, 555–577, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-555-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-555-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The Mediterranean region has returned some of the clearest evidence of a climatically dry period occurring approximately 4200 years ago. We reviewed selected proxies to infer regional climate patterns between 4.3 and 3.8 ka. Temperature data suggest a cooling anomaly, even if this is not uniform, whereas winter was drier, along with dry summers. However, some exceptions to this prevail, where wetter condition seems to have persisted, suggesting regional heterogeneity.
Christoph Zielhofer, Anne Köhler, Steffen Mischke, Abdelfattah Benkaddour, Abdeslam Mikdad, and William J. Fletcher
Clim. Past, 15, 463–475, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-463-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-463-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Based on a Holocene oxygen stable isotope record from Lake Sidi Ali (Morocco) we correlate Western Mediterranean precipitation anomalies with North Atlantic ice-rafted debris (Bond) events to identify a probable teleconnection between Western Mediterranean winter rains and subpolar North Atlantic cooling phases. Our data show a noticeable similarity between Western Mediterranean winter rain minima and Bond events during the Early Holocene and an opposite pattern during the Late Holocene.
Peter Jung, Götz Hornbruch, Andreas Dahmke, Peter Dietrich, and Ulrike Werban
Solid Earth, 15, 1465–1477, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1465-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-15-1465-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We demonstrate the feasibility of imaging vertical freezing boundaries using borehole ground-penetrating radar (GPR) in experimental geological latent heat storage, where part of a shallow Quaternary aquifer is frozen. To gain insights into the current thermal state in the subsurface, we assess the frozen volume dimension. We show that a combination of crosshole and reflection measurements allows us to image the ice body with high accuracy in the challenging environment of saturated sediments.
Sandra Domingues Gomes, William Fletcher, Abi Stone, Teresa Rodrigues, Andreia Rebotim, Dulce Oliveira, Maria F. Sánchez Goñi, Fatima Abrantes, and Filipa Naughton
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3334, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-3334, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our study explores how rising CO2 at the end of the last ice age impacted vegetation in the Iberian Peninsula. By analyzing pollen and ocean temperatures in marine sediments, we found that higher CO2 helped forests expand, even in cool or dry conditions. This shows that CO2 played a key role in shaping ecosystems during climate shifts. Understanding this past response helps us see how different factors interact and provides insights into how today’s ecosystems might adapt to rapidly rising CO2.
Georg Kaufmann, Douchko Romanov, Ulrike Werban, and Thomas Vienken
Solid Earth, 14, 333–351, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-333-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/se-14-333-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We discuss collapse sinkholes occuring since 2004 on the sports field of Münsterdorf, a village north of Hamburg. The sinkholes, 2–5 m in size and about 3–5 m deep, develop in peri-glacial sand, with a likely origin in the Cretaceous chalk, present at about 20 m depth. The area has been analyzed with geophysical and direct-push-based methods, from which material properties of the subsurface have been derived. The properties have been used for mechanical models, predicting the subsidence.
J. Muro, A. Linstädter, F. A. Männer, L.-M. Schwarz, J. Hoffmann, and O. Dubovyk
Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLIII-B3-2022, 945–950, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLIII-B3-2022-945-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/isprs-archives-XLIII-B3-2022-945-2022, 2022
Benedikt J. Werner, Oliver J. Lechtenfeld, Andreas Musolff, Gerrit H. de Rooij, Jie Yang, Ralf Gründling, Ulrike Werban, and Jan H. Fleckenstein
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 6067–6086, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6067-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-6067-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Export of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from riparian zones (RZs) is an important yet poorly understood component of the catchment carbon budget. This study chemically and spatially classifies DOC source zones within a RZ of a small catchment to assess DOC export patterns. Results highlight that DOC export from only a small fraction of the RZ with distinct DOC composition dominates overall DOC export. The application of a spatial, topographic proxy can be used to improve DOC export models.
Edoardo Martini, Matteo Bauckholt, Simon Kögler, Manuel Kreck, Kurt Roth, Ulrike Werban, Ute Wollschläger, and Steffen Zacharias
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 13, 2529–2539, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2529-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-13-2529-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present the in situ data available from the soil monitoring network
STH-net, recently implemented at the Schäfertal Hillslope site (Germany). The STH-net provides data (soil water content, soil temperature, water level, and meteorological variables – measured at a 10 min interval since 1 January 2019) for developing and testing modelling approaches in the context of vadose zone hydrology at spatial scales ranging from the pedon to the hillslope.
Basil A. S. Davis, Manuel Chevalier, Philipp Sommer, Vachel A. Carter, Walter Finsinger, Achille Mauri, Leanne N. Phelps, Marco Zanon, Roman Abegglen, Christine M. Åkesson, Francisca Alba-Sánchez, R. Scott Anderson, Tatiana G. Antipina, Juliana R. Atanassova, Ruth Beer, Nina I. Belyanina, Tatiana A. Blyakharchuk, Olga K. Borisova, Elissaveta Bozilova, Galina Bukreeva, M. Jane Bunting, Eleonora Clò, Daniele Colombaroli, Nathalie Combourieu-Nebout, Stéphanie Desprat, Federico Di Rita, Morteza Djamali, Kevin J. Edwards, Patricia L. Fall, Angelica Feurdean, William Fletcher, Assunta Florenzano, Giulia Furlanetto, Emna Gaceur, Arsenii T. Galimov, Mariusz Gałka, Iria García-Moreiras, Thomas Giesecke, Roxana Grindean, Maria A. Guido, Irina G. Gvozdeva, Ulrike Herzschuh, Kari L. Hjelle, Sergey Ivanov, Susanne Jahns, Vlasta Jankovska, Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno, Monika Karpińska-Kołaczek, Ikuko Kitaba, Piotr Kołaczek, Elena G. Lapteva, Małgorzata Latałowa, Vincent Lebreton, Suzanne Leroy, Michelle Leydet, Darya A. Lopatina, José Antonio López-Sáez, André F. Lotter, Donatella Magri, Elena Marinova, Isabelle Matthias, Anastasia Mavridou, Anna Maria Mercuri, Jose Manuel Mesa-Fernández, Yuri A. Mikishin, Krystyna Milecka, Carlo Montanari, César Morales-Molino, Almut Mrotzek, Castor Muñoz Sobrino, Olga D. Naidina, Takeshi Nakagawa, Anne Birgitte Nielsen, Elena Y. Novenko, Sampson Panajiotidis, Nata K. Panova, Maria Papadopoulou, Heather S. Pardoe, Anna Pędziszewska, Tatiana I. Petrenko, María J. Ramos-Román, Cesare Ravazzi, Manfred Rösch, Natalia Ryabogina, Silvia Sabariego Ruiz, J. Sakari Salonen, Tatyana V. Sapelko, James E. Schofield, Heikki Seppä, Lyudmila Shumilovskikh, Normunds Stivrins, Philipp Stojakowits, Helena Svobodova Svitavska, Joanna Święta-Musznicka, Ioan Tantau, Willy Tinner, Kazimierz Tobolski, Spassimir Tonkov, Margarita Tsakiridou, Verushka Valsecchi, Oksana G. Zanina, and Marcelina Zimny
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 12, 2423–2445, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2423-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-12-2423-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The Eurasian Modern Pollen Database (EMPD) contains pollen counts and associated metadata for 8134 modern pollen samples from across the Eurasian region. The EMPD is part of, and complementary to, the European Pollen Database (EPD) which contains data on fossil pollen found in Late Quaternary sedimentary archives. The purpose of the EMPD is to provide calibration datasets and other data to support palaeoecological research on past climates and vegetation cover over the Quaternary period.
Hans von Suchodoletz, Stefanie Berg, Eileen Eckmeier, Lukas Werther, and Christoph Zielhofer
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 237–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In this editorial, we give a short state of the art of geoarchaeology, including recent advancements and challenges, and shortly present the seven contributions to our special issue.
Monja Ellinger, Ines Merbach, Ulrike Werban, and Mareike Ließ
SOIL, 5, 275–288, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-275-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/soil-5-275-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Vis–NIR spectrometry is often applied to capture soil organic carbon (SOC). This study addresses the impact of the involved data and modelling aspects on SOC precision with a focus on the propagation of input data uncertainties. It emphasizes the necessity of transparent documentation of the measurement protocol and the model building and validation procedure. Particularly, when Vis–NIR spectrometry is used for soil monitoring, the aspect of uncertainty propagation becomes essential.
Monica Bini, Giovanni Zanchetta, Aurel Perşoiu, Rosine Cartier, Albert Català, Isabel Cacho, Jonathan R. Dean, Federico Di Rita, Russell N. Drysdale, Martin Finnè, Ilaria Isola, Bassem Jalali, Fabrizio Lirer, Donatella Magri, Alessia Masi, Leszek Marks, Anna Maria Mercuri, Odile Peyron, Laura Sadori, Marie-Alexandrine Sicre, Fabian Welc, Christoph Zielhofer, and Elodie Brisset
Clim. Past, 15, 555–577, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-555-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-555-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The Mediterranean region has returned some of the clearest evidence of a climatically dry period occurring approximately 4200 years ago. We reviewed selected proxies to infer regional climate patterns between 4.3 and 3.8 ka. Temperature data suggest a cooling anomaly, even if this is not uniform, whereas winter was drier, along with dry summers. However, some exceptions to this prevail, where wetter condition seems to have persisted, suggesting regional heterogeneity.
Christoph Zielhofer, Anne Köhler, Steffen Mischke, Abdelfattah Benkaddour, Abdeslam Mikdad, and William J. Fletcher
Clim. Past, 15, 463–475, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-463-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-463-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Based on a Holocene oxygen stable isotope record from Lake Sidi Ali (Morocco) we correlate Western Mediterranean precipitation anomalies with North Atlantic ice-rafted debris (Bond) events to identify a probable teleconnection between Western Mediterranean winter rains and subpolar North Atlantic cooling phases. Our data show a noticeable similarity between Western Mediterranean winter rain minima and Bond events during the Early Holocene and an opposite pattern during the Late Holocene.
María Fernanda Sánchez Goñi, Stéphanie Desprat, Anne-Laure Daniau, Frank C. Bassinot, Josué M. Polanco-Martínez, Sandy P. Harrison, Judy R. M. Allen, R. Scott Anderson, Hermann Behling, Raymonde Bonnefille, Francesc Burjachs, José S. Carrión, Rachid Cheddadi, James S. Clark, Nathalie Combourieu-Nebout, Colin. J. Courtney Mustaphi, Georg H. Debusk, Lydie M. Dupont, Jemma M. Finch, William J. Fletcher, Marco Giardini, Catalina González, William D. Gosling, Laurie D. Grigg, Eric C. Grimm, Ryoma Hayashi, Karin Helmens, Linda E. Heusser, Trevor Hill, Geoffrey Hope, Brian Huntley, Yaeko Igarashi, Tomohisa Irino, Bonnie Jacobs, Gonzalo Jiménez-Moreno, Sayuri Kawai, A. Peter Kershaw, Fujio Kumon, Ian T. Lawson, Marie-Pierre Ledru, Anne-Marie Lézine, Ping Mei Liew, Donatella Magri, Robert Marchant, Vasiliki Margari, Francis E. Mayle, G. Merna McKenzie, Patrick Moss, Stefanie Müller, Ulrich C. Müller, Filipa Naughton, Rewi M. Newnham, Tadamichi Oba, Ramón Pérez-Obiol, Roberta Pini, Cesare Ravazzi, Katy H. Roucoux, Stephen M. Rucina, Louis Scott, Hikaru Takahara, Polichronis C. Tzedakis, Dunia H. Urrego, Bas van Geel, B. Guido Valencia, Marcus J. Vandergoes, Annie Vincens, Cathy L. Whitlock, Debra A. Willard, and Masanobu Yamamoto
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 9, 679–695, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-679-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-9-679-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The ACER (Abrupt Climate Changes and Environmental Responses) global database includes 93 pollen records from the last glacial period (73–15 ka) plotted against a common chronology; 32 also provide charcoal records. The database allows for the reconstruction of the regional expression, vegetation and fire of past abrupt climate changes that are comparable to those expected in the 21st century. This work is a major contribution to understanding the processes behind rapid climate change.
Odile Peyron, Nathalie Combourieu-Nebout, David Brayshaw, Simon Goring, Valérie Andrieu-Ponel, Stéphanie Desprat, Will Fletcher, Belinda Gambin, Chryssanthi Ioakim, Sébastien Joannin, Ulrich Kotthoff, Katerina Kouli, Vincent Montade, Jörg Pross, Laura Sadori, and Michel Magny
Clim. Past, 13, 249–265, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-249-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-249-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This study aims to reconstruct the climate evolution of the Mediterranean region during the Holocene from pollen data and model outputs. The model- and pollen-inferred precipitation estimates show overall agreement: the eastern Medit. experienced wetter-than-present summer conditions during the early–late Holocene. This regional climate model highlights how the patchy nature of climate signals and data in the Medit. may lead to stronger local signals than the large-scale pattern suggests.
Edoardo Martini, Ulrike Werban, Steffen Zacharias, Marco Pohle, Peter Dietrich, and Ute Wollschläger
Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 495–513, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-495-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-21-495-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
With a process-based interpretation of electromagnetic induction measurements, we discussed the potential and limitations of such a method for soil moisture mapping. Results will help clarify the complex and time-varying effect of stable soil properties and dynamic state variables on the physical parameters measured, with implications for future studies. We highlighted the importance of time-series data and the need for a multidisciplinary approach for proper interpretation.
Related subject area
Geoarchaeology
The Trendermarsch sunken in the Wadden Sea (North Frisia, Germany) – reconstructing a drowned medieval cultural landscape with geoarchaeological and geophysical investigations
The Holocene evolution of the fluvial system of the southern Hessische Ried (Upper Rhine Graben, Germany) and its role for the use of the river Landgraben as a waterway during Roman times
New insights into complex social organization in the southern Caucasus – Late Bronze Age–Early Iron Age settlement patterns in the Shiraki Plain (southeast Georgia)
Lost and potentially found: the location of the “Temple of Hermes” at ancient Bubastis in the Nile Delta
The loess landscapes of the Lower Rhine Embayment as (geo-)archeological archives – insights and challenges from a geomorphological and sedimentological perspective
Late Weichselian–Holocene valley development of the Elbe valley near Dresden – linking sedimentation, soil formation and archaeology
A pedo-geomorphological view on land use and its potential in the surroundings of the ancient Hispano-Roman city Munigua (Seville, SW Spain)
Preface: Special issue “Geoarchaeology of the Nile Delta”
Revisiting the subalpine Mesolithic site Ullafelsen in the Fotsch Valley, Stubai Alps, Austria – new insights into pedogenesis and landscape evolution from leaf-wax-derived n-alkanes, black carbon and radiocarbon dating
Reconstruction of former channel systems in the northwestern Nile Delta (Egypt) based on corings and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT)
Sandhills, sandbanks, waterways, canals and sacred lakes at Sais in the Nile Delta
The late Holocene record of Lake Mareotis, Nile Delta, Egypt
Significant depositional changes offshore the Nile Delta in late third millennium BCE: relevance for Egyptology
Implications of geoarchaeological investigations for the contextualization of sacred landscapes in the Nile Delta
Western Mareotis lake(s) during the Late Holocene (4th century BCE–8th century CE): diachronic evolution in the western margin of the Nile Delta and evidence for the digging of a canal complex during the early Roman period
A new look at the Butic Canal, Egypt
Towards timing and stratigraphy of the Bronze Age burial mound royal tomb (Königsgrab) of Seddin (Brandenburg, northeastern Germany)
Mapping buried paleogeographical features of the Nile Delta (Egypt) using the Landsat archive
New findings of Middle Stone Age lithic artifacts from the Matmata loess region in southern Tunisia
Sediment-filled karst depressions and riyad – key archaeological environments of south Qatar
Preface: Special Issue “Geoarchaeology and past human–environment interactions”
Combining geomorphological–hydrological analyses and the location of settlement and raw material sites – a case study on understanding prehistoric human settlement activity in the southwestern Ethiopian Highlands
Holocene floodplain evolution in a central European loess landscape – geoarchaeological investigations of the lower Pleiße valley in NW Saxony
Neolithic settlement dynamics derived from archaeological data and colluvial deposits between the Baar region and the adjacent low mountain ranges, southwest Germany
Archaeology and agriculture: conflicts and solutions
Fortification, mining, and charcoal production: landscape history at the abandoned medieval settlement of Hohenwalde at the Faule Pfütze (Saxony, Eastern Ore Mountains)
New data from the Middle Palaeolithic Cotencher cave (Swiss Jura): site formation, environment, and chronology
Antonia Reiß, Hanna Hadler, Dennis Wilken, Bente S. Majchczack, Ruth Blankenfeldt, Sarah Bäumler, Ulf Ickerodt, Stefanie Klooß, Timo Willershäuser, Wolfgang Rabbel, and Andreas Vött
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 74, 37–57, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-37-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-37-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study combines different geophysical and geomorphological methods to estimate how and to what extent human–environment interactions have shaped the coastal region of the Trendermarsch since the High Middle Ages. Our results reveal a drowned, formerly cultivated marshland with different phases of settlement from medieval times onwards and thus presumably illustrate storm-flood-induced reactions in cultivation patterns.
Elena Appel, Thomas Becker, Dennis Wilken, Peter Fischer, Timo Willershäuser, Lea Obrocki, Henrik Schäfer, Markus Scholz, Olaf Bubenzer, Bertil Mächtle, and Andreas Vött
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 179–202, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-179-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-179-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Human intervention in the natural drainage system of the Hessische Ried (Germany) resulted in the transformation of a large wetland into a cultural landscape. In this study, we reconstruct the river network that was used by Romans for transportation and security. We found that the Romans collected water from several smaller rivers to establish the river Landgraben as a navigable waterway. Unexpectedly, larger rivers did not contribute any water to the Landgraben system during Roman times.
Levan Losaberidze, Giorgi Kirkitadze, Mate Akhalaia, Mikheil Lobjanidze, Michael Zimmerman, and Mikheil Elashvili
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 145–158, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-145-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-145-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The study of past environmental changes and their effects on cultures provides key information to reconstruct human–environmental interactions and model how climate change affects cultures and possible avenues of future adaptation. The Shiraki Plain is an uninhabited plain largely devoid of water resources. However, traces of extensive Bronze Age civilization with complex social organization were revealed, featuring the typology of settlements, their ages, and spatial planning.
Philipp Garbe, Amr Abd El-Raouf, Ashraf Es-Senussi, Eva Lange-Athinodorou, and Julia Meister
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 73, 95–99, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-95-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-73-95-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Geoarchaeological research in ancient Bubastis has concentrated on the western and central parts of the city. Although the “Temple of Hermes” was investigated and roughly located in eastern Bubastis during exploratory excavations in the 19th century, no traces of the temple can be seen on the surface today. Geomorphological surveys carried out in 2023 to determine the possible location of the temple revealed a central area of elevated sandy deposits, providing a suitable area for the building.
Frank Lehmkuhl, Philipp Schulte, Wolfgang Römer, and Stephan Pötter
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 203–218, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-203-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-203-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
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.
Christian Tinapp, Johannes Selzer, Norman Döhlert-Albani, Birgit Fischer, Susann Heinrich, Christoph Herbig, Frauke Kreienbrink, Tobias Lauer, Birgit Schneider, and Harald Stäuble
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 72, 95–111, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-95-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-95-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Excavations by the Saxonian Archaeological Heritage Office were conducted in the Elbe valley between Meißen and Dresden, preceding the construction of two natural gas pipelines. Two important multicultural, prehistoric sites were discovered and examined. Through a multimethod approach, the structure of sediments and soils in combination with the archaeological finds could be deciphered, providing a glimpse into the late Weichselian and Holocene valley development of the upper Elbe.
André Kirchner, Nico Herrmann, Paul Matras, Iris Müller, Julia Meister, and Thomas G. Schattner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 123–143, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-123-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-123-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Our results indicate that the soils around Munigua currently have the potential for at least limited agricultural use in larger areas and would certainly allow the production of basic agricultural goods, not only today but most likely also in Roman times. Multi-layered colluvial deposits. as well as an excavated Roman hortic Anthrosol, indicate a long-term agrarian utilization of the area. Based on these results we can conclude that the city's economy was by no means focused solely on mining.
Julia Meister, Eva Lange-Athinodorou, and Tobias Ullmann
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 187–190, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-187-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-187-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This is the preface to the special issue "Geoarchaeology of the Nile Delta: Current Research and Future Prospects", which brings together geoarchaeological case studies from different regions of the Nile Delta.
Michael Zech, Marcel Lerch, Marcel Bliedtner, Tobias Bromm, Fabian Seemann, Sönke Szidat, Gary Salazar, Roland Zech, Bruno Glaser, Jean Nicolas Haas, Dieter Schäfer, and Clemens Geitner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 171–186, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-171-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-171-2021, 2021
Marina Altmeyer, Martin Seeliger, Andreas Ginau, Robert Schiestl, and Jürgen Wunderlich
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 151–164, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-151-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-151-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Kom el-Gir, an ancient settlement hill in the northwestern Nile Delta, is only one of many so-called tells with a former connection to a watercourse. To establish a detailed reconstruction of this former channel system, this paper presents small-scale investigations of Kom el-Gir’s surroundings using a multi-proxy approach.
Penelope Wilson and Hosni Ghazala
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 129–143, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-129-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-129-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Geophysical and archaeological work at Sais (Sa el-Hagar, Egypt) is analysed to discuss the relationships between the palaeolandscape, the evolving river and floodplain and human cultural activity at the site, where humans have lived since Neolithic times (4000 Before Common Era) until the present. The results show a close correlation with and reliance on the underlying sandhills for settlement and the way in which human activity has subsequently affected the floodplain landscape at the site.
Clément Flaux, Matthieu Giaime, Valérie Pichot, Nick Marriner, Mena el-Assal, Abel Guihou, Pierre Deschamps, Christelle Claude, and Christophe Morhange
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 93–104, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-93-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-93-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Lake Mareotis (NW Nile delta, Egypt) was a gateway between the Nile valley and the Mediterranean during Greco-Roman times. The hydrological evolution of Lake Mareotis was reconstructed using lake sediments and archaeological archives. The data show both a rise in Nile inputs to the basin during the first millennia BC and AD and a lake-level rise of ca. 1.5 m during the Roman period. A high-energy deposit such as a tsunami also possibly affected Alexandria's lacustrine hinterland.
Jean-Daniel Stanley and Sarah E. Wedl
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 83–92, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-83-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-83-2021, 2021
Eva Lange-Athinodorou
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 73–82, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-73-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-73-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
At Buto, Sais and Bubastis in the Nile delta, temples were built on gentle rising mounds surrounded by canals and lakes, representing a perfect fusion of natural and sacred landscapes. The waters served cultic purposes and played an important role in local mythological traditions. The paper aims to reconstruct those sacred waterways, canals and marshes according to recent geoarchaeological and philological research and to assess their impact on the evolution of key mythological narratives.
Maël Crépy and Marie-Françoise Boussac
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 39–52, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-39-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-39-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Based on a new method, this paper proves the presence of several lakes during Greco-Roman antiquity in the Mariut basin and the digging of a canal network (up to 12 km long) in the Roman period to link them to Lake Mareotis. This challenges a 2-century-long scientific tradition according to which Lake Mareotis naturally linked Taposiris Magna to Alexandria during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. It is thus a starting point for new analyses of regional archaeology and geoarchaeology.
Robert Schiestl
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 29–38, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-29-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-29-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The Butic Canal, a Roman-period artificial waterway transversing the Egyptian Nile Delta, is investigated by means of newly available remote sensing data (the TanDEM-X digital elevation model and Corona satellite imagery). New features of the construction can thus be detected. Adding historical sources, the canal's function(s) and chronology are discussed.
Moritz Nykamp, Jacob Hardt, Philipp Hoelzmann, Jens May, and Tony Reimann
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 70, 1–17, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-1-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-70-1-2021, 2021
Tobias Ullmann, Leon Nill, Robert Schiestl, Julian Trappe, Eva Lange-Athinodorou, Roland Baumhauer, and Julia Meister
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 225–245, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-225-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-225-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The contribution highlights the use of Landsat archive data (1985–2019) for the detection of surface anomalies potentially related to buried near-surface paleogeomorphological deposits in the Nile Delta (Egypt). The analyses of selected spectral-temporal metrics showed several anomalies in the immediate surroundings of Pleistocene sand hills (geziras) and settlement mounds (tells) of the eastern Delta, which allowed mapping of the potential near-surface continuation.
Dominik Faust, Sebastian Kreutzer, Yesmine Trigui, Maximilian Pachtmann, Georg Mettig, Moncef Bouaziz, Jose Manuel Recio Espejo, Fernando Diaz del Olmo, Christoph Schmidt, Tobias Lauer, Zeljko Rezek, Alexander Fülling, and Sascha Meszner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 69, 55–58, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-55-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-69-55-2020, 2020
Max Engel, Stefanie Rückmann, Philipp Drechsler, Dominik Brill, Stephan Opitz, Jörg W. Fassbinder, Anna Pint, Kim Peis, Dennis Wolf, Christoph Gerber, Kristina Pfeiffer, Ricardo Eichmann, and Helmut Brückner
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 215–236, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-215-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-215-2020, 2020
Hans von Suchodoletz, Stefanie Berg, Eileen Eckmeier, Lukas Werther, and Christoph Zielhofer
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 237–240, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-237-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
In this editorial, we give a short state of the art of geoarchaeology, including recent advancements and challenges, and shortly present the seven contributions to our special issue.
Elena A. Hensel, Oliver Bödeker, Olaf Bubenzer, and Ralf Vogelsang
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 201–213, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-201-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-201-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study combines geomorphological–hydrological analyses with the distribution of archaeological sites and obsidian raw material outcrops within the catchment of the Bisare River, Mt Damota, and Mt Sodicho (southwestern Ethiopian Highlands). The current highly dynamic hydrological system, strong recent sediment erosion, and increased human impact lead to land degradation, resulting in exposure of lithic raw material outcrops and destruction of archaeological material.
Christian Tinapp, Susann Heinrich, Christoph Herbig, Birgit Schneider, Harald Stäuble, Jan Miera, and Hans von Suchodoletz
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 95–105, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-95-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-95-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
It was possible to define the turning point from extremely clayey and organic- rich sedimentation in the Early and Middle Holocene towards the deposition of coarser-grained and less organic overbank fines in the lower Pleiße valley near Leipzig, NW Saxony. This change occurred between 4000 and 3300 BCE more than 1000 years after the beginning of Early Neolithic settlement and was obviously linked with land clearance by the first farmers.
Jan Johannes Miera, Jessica Henkner, Karsten Schmidt, Markus Fuchs, Thomas Scholten, Peter Kühn, and Thomas Knopf
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 75–93, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-75-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-75-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This study investigates Neolithic settlement dynamics by combining archaeological source criticism and archaeopedological data from colluvial deposits. It is shown that the distribution of Neolithic sites in the Baar region is distorted by superimposition due to erosion. Furthermore, the preservation conditions for pottery are limited by weathering effects. By complementing archaeological data with phases of colluviation we are able to point out settlement dynamics throughout the Neolithic.
Richard Vogt and Inga Kretschmer
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 68, 47–51, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-47-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-68-47-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Soils are an important source of geoarchaeological information. The archaeological soil archive is extremely endangered by intensive agriculture. Different approaches for problem-solving strategies that derive from daily practice in cultural heritage management are described.
Johann Friedrich Tolksdorf, Matthias Schubert, Frank Schröder, Libor Petr, Christoph Herbig, Petr Kočár, Mathias Bertuch, and Christiane Hemker
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 67, 73–84, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-73-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-73-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
This case study provides a reconstruction of settlement and land-use history since the 13th century CE in a small valley in the Ore Mountains (Saxony). Archaeological evidence shows settlement activities with a strong building and mining activities that also triggered local soil erosion. After the abandonment of the site in the middle of the 15th century CE and a reafforestation, later land use in the area occurred in the form of charcoal production.
Judit Deák, Frank Preusser, Marie-Isabelle Cattin, Jean-Christophe Castel, and François-Xavier Chauvière
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 67, 41–72, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-41-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-67-41-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Provided here are novel data concerning site formation processes and Middle Palaeolithic human presence at Cotencher cave (Switzerland). A local glaciation around 70 ka was followed by ice-free conditions, when artefacts and faunal remains were displaced by solifluction processes. Evidence of local glacier development around 36 ka is also presented. This interdisciplinary study contributes new elements for the understanding of climatic changes and human passage in the central Jura Mountains.
Cited articles
Arauner, U., Trappe, M., and Riedel, G.: Stadtgeschichte im Flussbett. Die Rolle von Schutter und Donau, in: Vom Werden einer Stadt – Ingolstadt seit 806, edited by: Riedel, G. and Schönewald, B., Stadt Ingolstadt, Ingolstadt, Germany, 80–85, ISBN-10 3932113438, 2006.
Baier, P.: Die Donau als Schiffahrtsweg – Projekt zum Ausbau der Oberen Donau. In: Die Donau zwischen Lech und Altmühl – Geschichte und Gegenwart einer Kulturlandschaft, edited by: Bauer, H., Verlag Donau Courier, Ingolstadt, 110–114, ISBN10 3920253205, 1987.
Balasse, M., Bălăşescu, A., Tornero, C., Fremondeau, D., Hovsepyan, R., Gillis, R., and Popovici, D.: Investigating the scale of herding in Chalcolithic pastoral communities settled along the Danube River in the 5th millennium BC: A case study at Bordusani-Popina and Harsova-tell (Romania), Quaternary Int., 436, 29–40, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2015.07.030, 2017.
Bavarian Agency for Digitisation, High-Speed Internet and Surveying (Bayerisches Landesamt für Digitalisierung, Breitband und Vermessung): Digitale Topographische Karte 1:25.000, https://geodaten.bayern.de/opengeodata/OpenDataDetail.html?pn=dtk25 (last access: 5 May 2024), 2023.
Bavarian Agency for Digitisation, High-Speed Internet and Surveying (Bayerisches Landesamt für Digitalisierung, Breitband und Vermessung: Digital elevation Model 1m (DEM), https://geodaten.bayern.de/opengeodata/OpenDataDetail.html?pn=dgm1 (last access: 18 September 2024), 2024.
Bavarian Environment Agency (Bayerisches Landesamt für Umwelt): Digital Geological Map 1:25,000, https://www.lfu.bayern.de/geologie/geo_karten_schriften/dgk25_uab/index.htm (last access: 17 September 2024), 2023.
Bayerisches Landesvermessungsamt: Topographische Karte 1:25.000, München, https://www.ldbv.bayern.de/produkte//historisch/tk.html (last access: 5 May 2024), 1955–1959.
Bayerisches Landesvermessungsamt: Topographische Karte 1:25.000, München, https://www.ldbv.bayern.de/produkte/historisch/tk.html (last access: 5 May 2024), 1982–1987.
Bayerisches Topographisches Bureau: Topographischer Atlas vom Königreich Baiern 1:50,000, München, https://www.bavarikon.de/object/bav:BSB-CMS-0000000000002414 (last access 25 February 2025), 1812–1867.
Bayerisches Topographisches Bureau: Topographische Karte von Bayern 1:25.000, München, https://www.ldbv.bayern.de/produkte//historisch/tk.html (last access: 5 May 2024), 1897.
Blackbourn, D.: The Conquest of Nature: Water, Landscape and the Making of Modern Germany, W. W. Norton & Company, London, UK, 480 pp., ISBN-10 0393329992, 2007.
Blaus, A., Reitalu, T., Poska, A., Vassiljev, J., and Veski, S.: Mire plant diversity change over the last 10,000 years: Importance of isostatic land uplift, climate and local conditions, J. Ecol., 109, 3634–3651, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.13742, 2021.
Botter, G., Basso, S., Rodriguez-Iturbe, I., and Rinaldo, A.: Resilience of river flow regimes, P. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 110, 12925–12930, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1311920110, 2013.
Brenner, W.: Die Entwässerung des Donaumooses, in: Geschichtliche Entwicklung der Wasserwirtschaft und des Wasserbaus in Bayern Volume 1, edited by: Bayerisches Landesamt für Wasserwirtschaft and Technical University of Munich, Bayerisches Landesamt für Umwelt, Munich, 51–67, ISBN 978-3-930253-24-1, 1986.
Brown, A. G., Lespez, L., Sear, D. A., Macaire, J. J., Houben, P., Klimek, K., Brazier, E. E., Van Oost, K., and Pears, B.: Natural vs anthropogenic streams in Europe: History, ecology and implications for restoration, river-rewilding and riverine ecosystem services, Earth-Sci. Rev. 180, 185–205, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2018.02.001, 2018.
Campopiano, M. and Curtis, D.: Medieval land reclamation and the creation of new societies: Comparing Holland and the Po Valley, c. 800–c. 1500, J. Hist. Geogr. 44, 93–108, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhg.2013.10.004, 2013.
Cui, Q. Y., Gaillard, M. J., Lemdahl, G., Stenberg, L., Sugita, S., and Zernova, G: Historical land-use and landscape change in southern Sweden and implications for present and future biodiversity, Ecol. Evol. 4, 3555–3570, https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.1198, 2014.
Cyffka, B. and Haas, F.: Dynamisierung der Donauauen zwischen Neuburg und Ingolstadt, Hydrobrief, 35, https://d-nb.info/99498636X/34 (last access: 6 May 2025), 2007.
Czerwiński, S. Guzowski, P., Lamentowicz, M., Gałka, M., Karpińska-Kołaczek, M., Poniat, R., Łokas, E., Diaconu, A.C., Schwarzer, J., Miecznik, M., and Kołaczek, P.: Environmental implications of past socioeconomic events in Greater Poland during the last 1200 years. Synthesis of paleoecological and historical data, Quaternary Sci. Rev., 259, 106902, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2021.106902, 2021.
Dickmann, F.: Aktuelle Ansätze landschaftlicher Repräsentationen in Karten, in: Die Landschaft interpretieren: Interdisziplinäre Ansätze, ZELT-Forum11, edited by: Kreisel, W. and Marsden, P. H., Universitätsverlag Göttingen, Göttingen, 85-92, ISBN 978-3-86395-495-65, 2021.
Donaumoos Association (Donaumoos-Zweckverband): Entwicklungskonzept Donaumoos, Neuburg a.d.D., Germany, https://www.donaumoos-zweckverband.de/downloads7ac7d43e (last access: 6 May 2025), 2000.
Donaumoos Association (Donaumoos-Zweckverband): Zukunft für das größte Niedermoor Süddeutschlands. Entwicklungskonzept-Donaumoos 2000–2030. 2. Auflage, Neuburg a.d.D., Germany, 32 p., https://cdn.website-editor.net/fb9d98f7187342bd8c848ad173637fd7/files/uploaded/1. Kurzfassung Entwicklungkonzept Donaumoos.pdf (last access: 7 May 2025), 2002.
Donaumoos Association (Donaumoos-Zweckverband): Donaumoos-Entwicklung bis 2030, https://www.donaumoos-zweckverband.de/dmzv-entwicklung-2030 (last access: 18 September 2024), 2022.
Drossbach, G.: Die Freiherren von Weveld und die Kultivierung des Donaumooses, in: Mensch und Moor. Zur Geschichte der Moornutzung in Bayern, edited by: Fassl, P. and Kettemann, O., Druckerzeugnisse des Schwäbischen Bauernhofmuseums Illerbeuren 24, Kronburg-Illerbeuren, Germany, ISBN-10 393191514X, 2014.
Fischer, P., Stammel, B., Lang, P., Schwab, A., and Cyffka, B.: Hydrologische Dynamik als Motor für die Renaturierung von Auenhabitaten an der Donau zwischen Neuburg und Ingolstadt. in: Fachtagung Ökohydraulik: Leben im, am und mit dem Fluss am 27. und 28. Juni 2013 in der Versuchsanstalt Obernach, edited by Lehrstuhl und Versuchsanstalt für Wasserbau und Wasserwirtschaft, TU München, München, Germany, 119–131, ISBN 978-3-943683-04-2, 2013.
Groening, M.: Karl Theodors stumme Revolution: Stephan Freiherr von Stengel, 1750-1822, und seine staats- und wirtschaftspolitischen Innovationen in Bayern, 1778–99, Verlag Regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher, Germany, 256 p., ISBN 978-3-89735-113-4, 2001.
Gudermann, R.: Morastwelt und Paradies: Ökonomie und Ökologie in der Landwirtschaft am Beispiel der Meliorationen in Westfalen und Brandenburg (1830–1880), Ferdinand Schönigh, Paderborn, 577 p., ISBN 3-506-79607-0, 2000.
Günther, A., Barthelmes, A., Huth, V., Joosten, H., Jurasinski, G., Koebsch, F., and Couwenberg, J.: Prompt rewetting of drained peatlands reduces climate warming despite methane emissions, Nat. Commun. 11, 1644, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-15499-z, 2020.
Haas, F. and Cyffka, B.: Hydrologisch-bodenkundliche Untersuchungen und Konzepterstellungen zur Wiedervernässung im Moorkörperschutzgebiet Langenmosen. Aueninstitut Neuburg, Eichstätt, Germany, 79 p., https://cdn.website-editor.net/fb9d98f7187342bd8c848ad173637fd7/files/uploaded/Abschlussbericht%2520Langenmosen.pdf (last access: 15 September 2024), 2011.
Haidvogl, G., Hohensinner, S., and Preis, S.: Rekonstruktion historischer Flusslandschaften als Grundlage im Gewässermanagement – potential und limits, Österreichische Wasser- und Abfallwirtschaft 9, 174–182, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00506-011-0335-1, 2011.
Haushofer, M.: Die Entwässerung des Donaumooses bei Neuburg – hier die Verbesserung der wasserwirtschaftlichen Verhältnisse und Kulturzustände im Donaumoose (Donaumoos-Karte als Kartenbeilage), Lampart, Augsburg, Germany, 235 p., http://digital.bib-bvb.de/view/bvb_single/single.jsp?dvs=1746598356849~161&locale=de&VIEWER_URL=/view/bvb_single/single.jsp?&DELIVERY_RULE_ID=39&bfe=view/action/singleViewer.do?dvs=&frameId=1&usePid1=true&usePid2=true (last access: 7 May 2025), 1907.
Haverkamp, M.: Binnenkolonisierung, Moorkultivierung und Torfwirtschaft im Emsland unter besonderer Berücksichtigung des südlichen Bourtanger Moores–Entwicklungslinien und Forschungsstand, TELMA-Berichte der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Moor- und Torfkunde 41, 257–282, https://doi.org/10.23689/fidgeo-2993, 2011.
Hermy, M. and Verheyen, K.: Legacies of the past in the present-day forest biodiversity: A review of past land-use effects on forest plant species composition and diversity, Ecol. Res., 22, 361–371, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-73238-9_1, 2007.
Hohensinner, S., Sonnlechner, C., Schmid, M., and Winiwarter, V.: Two steps back, one step forward: Reconstructing the dynamic Danube riverscape under human influence in Vienna, Water Hist., 5, 121–143, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12685-013-0076-0, 2013.
Hoser, P.: Die Donaumooskultivierung und ihre Folgen. In: Umweltgeschichte in der Region, Forum–Suevicum 9, Beiträge zur Geschichte Ostschwabens und der benachbarten Regionen 9, edited by: Kiesling, R. and Scheffknecht, W., Narr Francke Attempto Verlag, Tübingen, Germany, ISBN-10 3867643210, 205–235, 2012.
Jerz, H. and Peters, M.: Flussdynamik der Donau bei Ingolstadt in vorgeschichtlicher, geschichtlicher und heutiger Zeit, Rundgespräche der Kommission für Ökologie, 24, 95–108, 2002.
Jerz, H. and Schmidt-Kaler, H.: GK 1:25000 von Bayern. Erläuterungen zum Blatt 7234 Ingolstadt, Bayerisches Geologisches Landesamt, München, Germany, https://www.bestellen.bayern.de/application/applstarter?APPL=eshop&DIR=eshop&ACTIONxSETVAL(artdtl_geo.htm,APGxNODENR:100492,AARTxNR:13082,AARTxNODENR:218046,USERxBODYURL:artdtl.htm,KATALOG:StMUG,AKATxNAME:StMUG,ALLE:x)=X (last access: 7 May 2025), 1999.
Kaiser, K., Lorenz, S., Germer, S., Juschus, O., Küster, M., Libra, J., Bens, O., and Hüttl, R. F.: Late Quaternary evolution of rivers, lakes and peatlands in northeast Germany reflecting past climatic and human impact – an overview, E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 61, 103–132, https://doi.org/10.3285/eg.61.2.01, 2012.
Kaniecki, M., Köhler, A., Seeburg, V., Mehler, N., and Zielhofer, C.: Historical mapping of canals and ditches and the Danube surface water area in the Greater Donaumoos Region over the last 235 years, Pangaea [data set], https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.973467, 2025.
Kleinschnitz, M. and Krömer, E.: GK 1:25000 von Bayern. Erläuterungen zum Blatt 7233 Neuburg/D., Bayerisches Geologisches Landesamt, München, Germany, https://www.bestellen.bayern.de/application/applstarter?APPL=eshop&DIR=eshop&ACTIONxSETVAL(artdtl_geo.htm,APGxNODENR:100492,AARTxNR:13096,AARTxNODENR:218538,USERxBODYURL:artdtl.htm,KATALOG:StMUG,AKATxNAME:StMUG,ALLE:x)=X (last access: 7 May 2025), 2003.
Koch, F.: Das Donaumoos, in: Mensch und Moor. Zur Geschichte der Moornutzung in Bayern, edited by: Fassl, P. and Kettemann, O., Druckerzeugnisse des Schwäbischen Bauernhofmuseums Illerbeuren 24, Kronburg-Illerbeuren, Germany, 51–65, ISBN-10 393191514X, 2014.
Köhler, A., Wanger-O'Neill, A., Rabiger-Völlmer, J., Herzig, F., Schneider, B., Nebel, S., Werban, U., Pohle, M., Kreck, M., Dietrich, P., Werther, L., Gronenborn, D., Berg, S., and Zielhofer, C.: A hydrological tipping point and onset of Neolithic wetland occupation in Pestenacker (Lech catchment, S Germany), Quaternary Sci. Rev., 278, 107370, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quascirev.2022.107370, 2022.
Köhler, A., Werban, U., Pohle, P., Rabiger-Völlmer, J., Schneider, B., Wanger-O'Neill, A., Berg, S., Dietrich, P., and Zielhofer, C.: Determining carbon storage of a complex peat stratigraphy using non- and minimal-invasive geophysical prospection techniques (Verlorener Bach and Loosbach valleys, SW Germany), Geoderma, 452, 117095, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2024.117095, 2024.
Königliche Unmittelbare Steuervermessungskommission: Bayerische Uraufnahme, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Bayerische_Uraufnahme?uselang=de (last access: 5 May 2024), 1859–1876.
Kortfunke, C.: Über die spät- und postglaziale Vegetationsgeschichte des Donaumooses und seiner Umgebung, Dissertationes Botanicae 184, Schweizerbart, Berlin/Stuttgart, Germany, 177 p., ISBN 978-3-443-64096-5, 1992.
N.N.: Grundriss über das sämt. Schrobenhausen Lehen-Moos, nebst den anliegenten Ortschaften (Staatsarchiv Augsburg, Donaumoosakten 497), 1788.
N.N.: Geometrischer Plan Des in einem grossen Sumpfe bestandenen, und in den Jahren 1790, 1791, 1792 und 1793 ganz Cultur-fähig, und trocken gelegten Donauer-Mooses. Staatliche Bibliothek Neuburg a.d.D., https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb00112998?page=2 (last access: 6 May 2024), 1794.
Nadler, M.: Neuburg an der Donau. Das Landgericht Neuburg und die Pfleggerichte Burgheim und Reichertshofen, Historischer Atlas von Bayern, Teil Schwaben I 16, München, Germany, https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/OQEGQPASIBQNXZ5XGV2RYBARGSHYCDLI (last access: 7 May 2025), 2004.
Nichols, J. E. and Peteet, D. M.: Rapid expansion of northern peatlands and doubled estimate of carbon storage, Nat. Geosci., 12, 917–921, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0454-z, 2019.
Niggemann, U.: “Peuplierung” als merkantilistisches Instrument: Privilegierung von Einwanderern und staatlich gelenkte Ansiedlungen, in: Handbuch Staat und Migration in Deutschland seit dem 17. Jahrhundert, edited by: Oltmer, J., De Gruyter Oldenbourg, Berlin, Germany, 171–218, https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110345391, 2015.
Macklin, M. G. and Lewin, J.: River stresses in anthropogenic times: Large-scale global patterns and extended environmental timelines, Prog. Phys. Geogr. 43, 3–23, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133318803013, 2019.
Manton, M., Makrickas, E., Banaszuk, P., Kołos, A., Kamocki, A., Grygoruk, M., Stachowicz, M., Jarašius, L., Zableckis, N., and Sendžikaitė, J.: Assessment and Spatial Planning for Peatland Conservation and Restoration: Europe's Trans-Border Neman River Basin as a Case Study, Land, 10, 174, https://doi.org/10.3390/land10020174, 2021.
Meybeck, M.: Global analysis of river systems: From Earth system controls to Anthropocene syndromes, Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B, 358, 1935–1955, https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2003.1379, 2003.
Mostert, E.: River basin management and community: the Great Ouse Basin, 1850–present, Int. J. River Basin Manage., 16, 51–59, https://doi.org/10.1080/15715124.2017.1339355, 2018.
Peters, J.: Historische Einführung: Neuholland von den Anfängen bis zur Mitte des 18. Jahrhunderts, in: Märkische Bauerntagebücher des 18. und 19. Jahrhunderts, edited by: Peters, J., Harnisch, H., and Enders, L., Franz Steiner Verlag, Weimar, Germany, 18–81, ISBN 978-3-8305-4345-9, 1989.
Pfadenhauer, J., Krüger, G. M., and Muhr, E.: Ökologisches Gutachten Donaumoos. Konzept zur künftigen Landschaftsentwicklung, Schriftenreihe, Bayerisches Landesamt für Umweltschutz 109, München, Germany, 88 p., https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/SM4XQUQXV4NDMFJ3Z4HW3XZN65IL3HUJ (last access: 7 May 2025), 1991.
Pierik, H. J.: Landscape changes and human–landscape interaction during the first millennium AD in the Netherlands, Neth. J. Geosci., 100, e11, https://doi.org/10.1017/njg.2021.8, 2021.
Pinder, L. C. V., Marker, A. F. H., Mann, R. H. K., Bass, J. A. B., and Copp, G. H.: The River Great Ouse, a highly eutrophic, slow-flowing, regulated, lowland river in eastern England, Regul. River, 13, 203–218, 1997.
Reinkemeier, P.: Moore in Schleswig-Holstein–Moorkultivierung, Moorkolonisation und Torfabbau, Schauplätze der Umweltgeschichte in Schleswig-Holstein, edited by: Collet, D. and Jakubowski-Tiessen, M., Universitätsverlag Göttingen, Göttingen, Germnay, 165–179, https://naturschutz.uni-goettingen.de/files/papers/222.pdf (last access: 19 September 2024), 2013.
Rieder, K. H.: Ein frühmittelalterliches Dorf bei Zuchering, in: Die Donau zwischen Lech und Altmühl, edited by: Bauer, H., Donau Courier, Ingolstadt, Germany, 18–31 pp., https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/C6XRNQGBFLETOEV4Q5J4REWLSCEEEP2I (last access: 7 May 2025), 1987.
Rieder, K. H. and Tillmann, A.: Neuburg an der Donau. Archäologie rund um den Stadtberg, Verlag Marie Leidorf, Buch am Erlbach, Germany, ISBN-10 3924734119, 1993.
Schielein, P.: Neuzeitliche Flusslaufverlagerungen des Lechs und der Donau im Lechmündungsgebiet – qualitative und quantitative Analysen historischer Karten, Bamberger Geographische Schriften 24, 215–241, https://www.uni-bamberg.de/fileadmin/geo2/Publikationen/BaGeogrSchri24_Schielein2010.pdf (last access: 17 September 2024), 2010.
Schielein, P. and Schellmann, G.: Erläuterungen zur quartärgeologischen Karte 1:25.000 des Lech- und Donautals auf Blatt 7231 Genderkingen, Bamberger Geographische Schriften SF 12, 171–192, https://www.uni-bamberg.de/fileadmin/geo2/Publikationen/Publik2017/7231_Genderkingen_Schielein_Schellmann_2016G.pdf (last access 17 September 2024), 2017.
Schmid, M.: Long-Term Risks of Colonization: The Bavarian `Donaumoos', in: Social Ecology. Society-Nature Relations across Time and Space, edited by: Haberl, H., Fischer-Kowalski, M., Krausmann, F., and Winiwarter, V., Human-Environment Interactions 5, Springer, Cham, 391–415, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-33326-7_19, 2016.
Schmidt, J., Voigt, A., Seeburg, V., Köhler, A., Offermann, M., Zielhofer, C., and Werther, L.: Georeferencing and other strategies to spatialise information from old maps. A collection of best practice recommendations/Georeferenzierung und andere Strategien zur Verräumlichung von Informationen aus Altkarten – ein Leitfaden, i.DAI.repo, Berlin, Germany, https://doi.org/10.34780/8XZW-GF31, 2024.
Schuppert, C.: GIS-gestützte historisch-geographische Untersuchungen frühkeltischer Fürstensitze in Südwestdeutschland, Forschungen und Berichte zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte in Baden-Württemberg 126, Landesamt für Denkmalpflege im Regierungspräsidium Stuttgart, 250 p., ISBN 978-3-8062-2885-4, 2013.
Seeburg, V.: Bodenkultivierung im Donaumoos. Ein Beitrag zur Umwelt- und Sozialgeschichte zwischen 1780 und 1830, FAU University Press, Erlangen, Germany, https://doi.org/10.25593/978-3-96147-468-4, 2021.
Seitz, R.: Das Donaumoos – Entstehung und Besiedelung einer Ausräumungslandschaft, in: Die Donau zwischen Lech und Altmühl – Geschichte und Gegenwart einer Kulturlandschaft, edited by: Bauer, H., Verlag Donau Courier, Ingolstadt, Germany, 150–155, ISBN 3920253205, 1987.
Stammel, B., Cyffka, B., Geist, J., Müller, M., Pander, J., Blasch, G., Fischer, P., Gruppe, A., Haas, F., Kilg, M., Lang, P., Schopf, R., Schwab, A., Utschik, H., and Weissbrod, M.: Floodplain restoration on the Upper Danube (Germany) by re-establishing water and sediment dynamics: A scientific monitoring as part of the implementation, River Syst., 20, 55–70, https://doi.org/10.1127/1868-5749/2011/020-0033, 2012.
Stammel, B., Fischer, C., Cyffka, B., Albert, C., Damm, C., Dehnhardt, A., Fischer, H., Foeckler, F., Gerstner, L., Hoffmann, T.G., Iwanowski, J., Kasperidus, H.D., Linnemann, K., Mehl, D., Podschun, S.A., Rayanov, M., Ritz, S., Rumm, A., Scholz, M., Schulz-Zunkel, C., Thiele, J., Venohr, M., Haaren, C. von, Pusch, M. T., and Gelhaus, M.: Assessing land use and flood management impacts on ecosystem services in a river landscape (Upper Danube, Germany), River Res. Appl., 37, 209–220, https://doi.org/10.1002/rra.3669, 2021.
Squatriti, P. (Ed.): Working with water in Medieval Europe, Technology and Change in History 3, De Gruyter Brill, Leiden, Netherlands, 446 p., ISBN 978-90-04-10680-2, 2000.
Swindles, G. T., Morris, P. J., Mullan, D. J., Payne, R. J., Roland, T. P., Amesbury, M. J., Lamentowicz, M., Turner, T. E., Gallego-Sala, A., Sim, T., Barr, I. D., Blaauw, M., Blundell, A., Chambers, F. M., Charman, D. J., Feurdean, A., Galloway, J. M., Gałka, M., Green, S. M., Kajukało, K., Karofeld, E., Korhola, A., Lamentowicz, Ł., Langdon, P., Marcisz, K., Mauquoy, D., Mazei, Y., McKeown, M. M., Mitchell, E. A. D., Novenko, E., Plunkett, G., Roe, H. M., Schoning, K., Sillasoo, Ü., Tsyganov, A. N., van der Linden, M., Väliranta, M., and Warner, B.: Widespread drying of European peatlands in recent centuries, Nat. Geosci., 12, 922–928, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41561-019-0462-z, 2019.
Swinnen, W., Broothaerts, N., Hoevers, R., and Verstraeten, G.: Anthropogenic legacy effects control sediment and organic carbon storage in temperate river floodplains, Catena, 195, 104897, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2020.104897, 2020.
Tanneberger, F., Moen, A., Barthelmes, A., Lewis, E., Miles, L., Sirin, A., Tegetmeyer, C., and Joosten, H.: Mires in Europe – Regional diversity, condition and protection, Diversity, 13, 381, https://doi.org/10.3390/d13080381, 2021.
Tarolli, P., Cao, W., Sofia, G., Evans, D., and Ellis, E. C.: From features to fingerprints: A general diagnostic framework for Anthropogenic geomorphology, Prog. Phys. Geogr., 43, 95–128, https://doi.org/10.1177/0309133318825284, 2019.
Tockner, K., Tonolla, D., Bremerich, V., Jähnig, S. C., Robinson, C. T., and Zarfl, C.: Introduction to European rivers, in: Rivers of Europe, 2nd edition, edited by: Tockner, K., Zarfl, C., and Robinson, C. T., Elsevier, London, UK, 1–26, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-102612-0.00001-8, 2022.
van de Ven, G. P.: Manmade lowlands: History of water management and land reclamation in the Netherlands, Stichting Matrijs, Utrecht, Netherlands, ISBN-10 9053450300, 1994.
Vermaat, J. E., Wagtendonk, A. J., Brouwer, R., Sheremet, O., Ansink, E., Brockhoff, T., Plug, M., Hellsten, S., Aroviita, J., Tylec, L., Giełczewski, M., Kohut, L., Brabec, K., Haverkamp, J., Poppe, M., Böck, K., Coerssen, M., Segersten, J., and Hering, D.: Assessing the societal benefits of river restoration using the ecosystem services approach, Hydrobiologia, 769, 121–135, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-015-2482-z, 121-135, 2016.
von Aretin, J. G.: Aktenmässige Donaumoos-Kulturs-Geschichte. Churfürstlichen Donaumooskulturs-Kommißion, Schwan und Götz, Mannheim, Germany, https://www.bavarikon.de/object/bav:BSB-MDZ-00000BSB10982714?lang=de (last access: 7 May 2025), 1795.
von Aretin, J. G.: Vier wichtige Aktenstücke zur Kultursgeschichte des Donaumooses in Bayern. Ein Beytrag zu einer allgemeinen Kultursgeschichte diess Landes, Germanien, Augsburg, Germany, https://www.deutsche-digitale-bibliothek.de/item/UIKGJKV47XR6LJTOFQQIBCSH5M2M7JXM (last access: 7 May 2025), 1796.
von Kling, J. P.: Beschreibung eines Kulturversuches im Donaumoos, Joseph Lindauer, München, Germany, https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10724022?q=Donaumoos&page=,1 (last access 7 May 2025), 1806.
von Pechmann, H.: Geschichte der Austrocknung und der Cultur des Donaumoores in Bayern, München, Stuttgart, Cotta'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Tübingen, Germany, https://books.google.de/books?id=q0VSAAAAcAAJ&hl=de (last access: 17 September 2024), 1832.
von Riedl, A.: Plan Des unter Cultur stehenden Churfürstlichen Schrobenhauser oder Donauer Lehnen Mooses, n.p., https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/view/bsb10336154?page=22,23 (last access: 7 May 2025), 1791.
von Riedl, A.: Karte des trockengelegten Donauer Mooses dann der Chaussée von Poernbach Nach Neuburg, Joseph Lentner Verlag, München, Germany, https://www.bavarikon.de/object/bav:BSB-MAP-00000BSB00090588?p=1&cq=trockengelegten donaumoos&lang=de (last access: 6 May 2024), 1799–1806.
von Riedl, A.: Stromatlas von Baiern, München, Germany, https://www.bavarikon.de/object/bav:BSB-MAP-0002MAPP152QE103?lang=de (last access: 6 May 2024), 1806.
von Stengel, S.: Die Austrocknung des Donaumooses, München, Germany, https://www.digitale-sammlungen.de/de/details/bsb10336154 (last access: 7 May 2025), 1791.
Weissbrod, M. and Binder, F.: Auswirkung eines Staustufenbaus auf den Radialzuwachs von Stieleichen (Quercus robur L.) an der bayerischen Donau, Forstarchiv, 88, 102, 2017.
Wendling, H.: Manching reconsidered. New perspectives on settlement dynamics and urbanization in Iron Age Central Europe, Eur. J. Archaeol. 16, 459–490, https://doi.org/10.1179/1461957113Y.0000000031, 2013.
Werther, L., Mehler, N., Schenk, G. J., and Zielhofer, C.: On the way to the Fluvial Anthroposphere – Current limitations and perspectives of multidisciplinary research, Water, 13, 2188, https://doi.org/10.3390/w13162188, 2021.
Wichmann, S. and Nordt, A.: Unlocking the potential of peatlands and paludiculture to achieve Germany's climate targets: obstacles and major fields of action, Front. Clim., 6, 1380625, https://doi.org/10.3389/fclim.2024.1380625, 2024.
Winiwarter, V., Schmid, M., and Dressel, G.: Looking at half a millennium of co-existence. The Danube in Vienna as a socio-natural site, Water Hist., 5, 101–119, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12685-013-0079-x, 2013.
Winterholler, M.: Moorrenaturierungen – vom Klimaschutzprogramm Bayern (KLIP) zum Fachplan Moore, ANLiegen Natur, 42, 7–18, https://www.anl.bayern.de/publikationen/anliegen/doc/an42112winterholler_2020_moorschutz.pdf (last access: 16 September 2024), 2020.
Zak, D., Maagaard, A. L., and Liu, H.: Restoring riparian peatlands for inland waters: A European perspective, in Encyclopedia of Inland Waters, Elsevier, 2nd Edition, 3, 276–287, https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-819166-8.00127-4, 2022.
Zielhofer, C., Schmidt, J., Reiche, N., Tautenhahn, M., Ballasus, B., Burkart, M., Linstädter, A., Dietze, E., Kaiser, K., and Mehler, N.: The Lower Havel River Region (Brandenburg, Germany) – A 230-year-long historical map record indicates a decrease in surface water areas and groundwater levels, Water, 14, 480, https://doi.org/10.3390/w14030480, 2022.
Short summary
This study presents a quantitative reconstruction over a 235-year time frame of the development of the natural Donaumoos fen and Danube River into an anthroposphere. The selected proxies are the Donaumoos drainage ditch length and the Danube surface water area traced through the multi-temporal analysis of old maps. A comparison of quantitative proxies with the state of research from written sources leads to the discovery of potential great transitions in floodplain and peatland transformation.
This study presents a quantitative reconstruction over a 235-year time frame of the development...
Special issue