Articles | Volume 74, issue 2
https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-355-2025
© 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-74-355-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
03 Dec 2025
Research article |
| 03 Dec 2025
| 03 Dec 2025
Spatiotemporal dynamics of river channel patterns during the last 400 years south of Leipzig, Germany
Johannes Schmidt
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Institute of Geography, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Working group Historical Anthropospheres, LeipzigLab, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Department of Geography, Dresden University of Technology, Dresden, Germany
Sophie Lindemann
Leibniz-Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), Leipzig, Germany
Felicitas Geißler
Institute of Geography, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Michael Hein
Working group Historical Anthropospheres, LeipzigLab, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Niels Lohse
Historical Seminar, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Julia Schmidt-Funke
Working group Historical Anthropospheres, LeipzigLab, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Historical Seminar, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
Matthias Hardt
Leibniz-Institute for the History and Culture of Eastern Europe (GWZO), Leipzig, Germany
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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.
This study shows how the Elster–Pleiße floodplain near Leipzig changed from a dynamic,...
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