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
Related authors
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Martin Offermann, Michael Hein, Ronja Hegemann, Kay Gödecke, Lucas Hegner, Yamuna Henke, Nele Schäfer, Hanna Shelukhina, Erik Liebscher, Severin Opel, Johannes Rabiger-Völlmer, Lukas Werther, and Christoph Zielhofer
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 74, 325–354, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-325-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-325-2025, 2025
Short summary
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.
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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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