Articles | Volume 74, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-325-2025
© 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-74-325-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
05 Dec 2025
Research article |
| 05 Dec 2025
| 05 Dec 2025
Eco-morphological changes and potential salmon habitat suitability since pre-industrial times in the Mulde River system (Germany)
Martin Offermann
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute for Geography, Chair of Physical Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig Lab, Historical Anthropospheres working group, Leipzig University, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
Michael Hein
Institute for Geography, Chair of Physical Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig Lab, Historical Anthropospheres working group, Leipzig University, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
Institute of Ecology, Leuphana University Lüneburg, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany
Ronja Hegemann
Institute for Geography, Chair of Physical Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Kay Gödecke
Institute for Geography, Chair of Physical Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Lucas Hegner
Institute for Geography, Chair of Physical Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Yamuna Henke
Institute for Geography, Chair of Physical Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Nele Schäfer
Institute for Geography, Chair of Physical Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Hanna Shelukhina
Institute for Geography, Chair of Physical Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Erik Liebscher
Leipzig Lab, Historical Anthropospheres working group, Leipzig University, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
Department of History, Chair of Early Modern History, Leipzig University, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
Severin Opel
Digital Humanities Center, Eberhard Karls University, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
Johannes Rabiger-Völlmer
Institute for Geography, Chair of Physical Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Lukas Werther
German Archaeological Institute – DAI, Romano-Germanic Commission – RGK, 60325 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Christoph Zielhofer
Institute for Geography, Chair of Physical Geography, Leipzig University, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
Leipzig Lab, Historical Anthropospheres working group, Leipzig University, 04107 Leipzig, Germany
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Johannes Schmidt, Sophie Lindemann, Felicitas Geißler, Michael Hein, Niels Lohse, Julia Schmidt-Funke, and Matthias Hardt
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 74, 355–381, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-355-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-355-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short summary
This study shows how the Elster–Pleiße floodplain near Leipzig changed from a dynamic, anabranching river system to a mostly fixed river system. Using old maps and modern airborne surface structure mapping, researchers found that human activities like canals, mills, flood control, and sediment accumulation over time caused rivers to straighten and lose mobility. Understanding and quantifying these past changes can help guide future river restoration and flood management.
Christoph Zielhofer, Marie Kaniecki, Anne Köhler, Vera Seeburg, Arnela Rollo, Laura Bergmann, Stefanie Berg, Barbara Stammel, Rita Gudermann, William J. Fletcher, Ulrike Werban, Anja Linstädter, and Natascha Mehler
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 74, 105–124, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-105-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-105-2025, 2025
Short summary
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.
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Short summary
A multi-temporal study investigates river morphology, connectivity, and floodplain land use in the Mulde River system, focusing on the local extinction of Atlantic salmon. The study uses old maps to identify historical barriers and floodplain land use as a proxy for pollution. First results show a negative relationship between increasing barriers counts, intensive floodplain land use, and salmon populations. Sinuous and meandering channel patterns correspond to higher salmon presence.
A multi-temporal study investigates river morphology, connectivity, and floodplain land use in...
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