E&G Quaternary Science Journal最新文献

{"title":"Spatiotemporal dynamics of river channel patterns during the last 400 years south of Leipzig, Germany","authors":"Johannes Schmidt, Sophie Lindemann, Felicitas Geißler, Michael Hein, Niels Lohse, Julia Schmidt-Funke, Matthias Hardt","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-74-355-2025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-355-2025","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. The Elster–Pleiße floodplain south of Leipzig has undergone significant hydromorphological changes over the past few centuries, influenced by both natural processes and anthropogenic interventions (e.g. characterized by the repurposing of former river courses into mill races and other engineered water-management channels). This study employs selected mapping of fluvial–geomorphological features based on a Light Detection and Ranging Digital Terrain Model (LiDAR DTM; 1×1 m resolution) and the analysis of old maps to reconstruct past river dynamics and identify changes in channel morphology. Geomorphological features, such as oxbows, ridge-and-swale point bar structures, crevasse splays, and levees, reveal an earlier, more dynamic floodplain characterized by meandering and anabranching channels, which transitioned into a system of stabilized, largely immobile watercourses. Comparative analyses of old maps spanning the 16th to 20th centuries indicate a gradual reduction in river sinuosity and lateral migration, coinciding with increasing human modifications such as mill races, timber rafting canals, and flood protection measures. The major transformations date back to at least the late 16th century and may be even earlier in origin. Key drivers include the straightening of channels, floodplain aggradation, and the impact of open-cast lignite mining in recent centuries. The study highlights the complex interplay of sedimentary processes and anthropogenic activities in shaping the floodplain's evolution. This combined approach allows a detailed examination of the relative chronology of changes and helps identify topographic legacies left by dynamic floodplain systems, enhancing our understanding of the evolution of these landscapes. Understanding these long-term dynamics provides crucial insights for contemporary river restoration and flood management strategies.","PeriodicalId":41851,"journal":{"name":"E&G Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"74 2","pages":"355-381"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147899764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Sediment storage quantification in the Black Forest highlights tectonic influence on typically wide and shallow valleys","authors":"Annette Bösmeier, Jan Henrik Blöthe","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-74-301-2025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-301-2025","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Quantifying sedimentary volumes in mountain valleys can not only enhance our understanding of Quaternary valley evolution and river dynamics but also yield critical insights into hydrogeological characteristics. In contrast to the thoroughly investigated Upper Rhine Graben, little coherent information is available on the subsurface structure of adjacent Black Forest valleys. This study therefore aims at estimating the thickness, spatial distribution, and volumes of alluvial material in the valleys of the southwestern Black Forest. We utilized an extensive borehole database, high-resolution digital topographic data, and information from geological maps to integrate two complementary approaches. First, local valley cross sections were compiled to investigate subsurface bedrock morphology, allowing for a rough approximation of valley fill volumes. Second, catchment-specific linear and random forest regression based on morphometric and hydrologic variables were utilized to estimate sediment depths in valleys. Our results reveal a considerable spatial heterogeneity regarding shape, symmetry, ruggedness, and thickness of valley floor deposits. The composite valley cross sections with valley floor widths between 16 m and 3 km and average sediment depths ranging from 2 to 36.3 m include V-shaped geometries prevailing in narrow headwater valleys and main valleys mostly showing a surprisingly flat erosion surface and a shallow (on average < 15 m) sediment cover. Yet, towards the Upper Rhine Graben (URG), some valley sections widen and are rather box- or trough-shaped, comprising sediments up to 100 m thick. Overall, the valley orientation, sediment thickness, and valley shape in the main Black Forest catchments appear to be largely structurally controlled. For our study area of about 2100 km2 including nine main catchments with sizes between 13 and 1034 km2, estimated median values of valley fill volumes of the entire area range between 1.2 and 2.8 km3. Specifically the disproportionately high sediment volumes of two of the larger catchments, Dreisam and Schutter, are striking. Both areas exhibit a particular structural imprint, the one being located within a deep-seated, large-scale Late Paleozoic deformation zone, the other one crossed by the Cenozoic main border fault along the URG. These crustal discontinuities may be connected to an enhanced incision, which further underscores the importance of tectonic boundary conditions on the valley infill. In comparison with alpine settings, the sediment storage within the predominantly wide and shallow valleys is lower.","PeriodicalId":41851,"journal":{"name":"E&G Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"74 2","pages":"301-324"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147894931","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Silts with a human touch: the shift from natural to anthropogenically controlled fluvial dynamics in the Kinzig River floodplains, southwestern Germany","authors":"Charlotte Engelmann, Frank Preusser, Alexander Fülling, Jakob Wilk, Elisabeth Eiche, Dennis Quandt, Stefan Hergarten, Jan Henrik Blöthe","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-74-235-2025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-235-2025","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Central European fluvial systems shifted from naturally to anthropogenically controlled during the middle to late Holocene, responding uniquely to non-synchronous and interdependent natural and anthropogenic forcings. Previous research mainly focused on either large river systems or small catchments, yet meso-scale systems linking these have received little attention so far. Floodplains constitute an ideal setting to address this issue as their sediments recorded past river dynamics and human activity. This study investigates the transition from natural to anthropogenic control in the meso-scale Kinzig River in southwestern Germany using a combination of sedimentology, geochemical analysis, luminescence dating, and geophysical surveys. In the Kinzig catchment, three phases of floodplain accumulation are identified with characteristic sedimentation rates: late Pleistocene–early Holocene until 9.0 ka (0.1 mm a−1), middle–late Holocene from 9.0 until 0.82 ka (0.3 mm a−1), and the modern era from 0.82 ka until current times (1.1 mm a−1). Characterising these phases are decreasing grain sizes and increasing heavy metal concentrations (barium, lead, copper) in overbank fines, correlating with historical mining activity (peaking in the 16th and 18th centuries). This indicates the impact of mining on sediment delivery via deforestation that caused hillslope instability and sediment contamination. A cross-reference of floodplain stratigraphy with the catchment land use history reveals a gradual shift to an anthropogenically altered system, with intensified human impacts over the last 1000 years, approximately. This aligns with high floodplain sedimentation rates related to human presence. These findings depict the timing and dynamics of anthropogenic impacts on meso-scale fluvial systems in previously natural landscapes.","PeriodicalId":41851,"journal":{"name":"E&G Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"74 2","pages":"235-262"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://egqsj.copernicus.org/articles/74/235/2025/egqsj-74-235-2025.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147921425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Luminescence dating of alluvial sediments from the Quaternary fan–terrace sequence of the lower Bruche valley, Upper Rhine Graben, France","authors":"Madhurima Marik, Elena Serra, Gilles Rixhon, Frank Preusser","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-74-169-2025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-169-2025","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Geochronological constraints on fluvial terraces provide valuable insights into channel migration and adjustment involved within actively meandering river systems. However, numerical age estimation of fluvial deposits using luminescence dating is often challenged by inherent methodological limitations. Pre-depositional partial bleaching of grains can lead to overestimation, while anomalous fading in feldspar grains often results in underestimation of the luminescence ages. The current study applies both optically stimulated luminescence and multi-elevated temperature post-infrared infrared stimulated luminescence dating to fine sand and sandy matrix deposits collected from three distinct fluvial terrace levels across the lower reach of the Bruche River, in the Upper Rhine Graben (URG, north-eastern France). To evaluate the extent of partial bleaching, modern alluvial sand from the active riverbed is analysed for residual luminescence signals. Additionally, fading rates are measured, and quartz and feldspar ages are compared to evaluate the effectiveness of the applied measurement protocol in targeting signals less susceptible to fading. Overall, our study provides (i) a methodological focus, highlighting the effect of partial bleaching and fading on age estimation, and (ii) new insights into landscape evolution of the lower Bruche valley through numerical dating of the terrace deposits. The luminescence ages of the three fluvial terraces reveal distinct periods of aggradation in the URG. The uppermost sequences of the youngest (i.e. lowest) and middle terraces were deposited during the Younger Dryas (∼ 12–14 ka) and Marine Isotope Stage 3 (∼ 27–35 ka), respectively, while the oldest (i.e. highest) alluvial terrace has a minimum age of ∼ 200 ka.","PeriodicalId":41851,"journal":{"name":"E&G Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"74 2","pages":"169-192"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://egqsj.copernicus.org/articles/74/169/2025/egqsj-74-169-2025.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147887927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Great transitions in Donaumoos land reclamation (Bavaria, Germany) since the late 18th century – a palaeohydrological and historical perspective","authors":"Christoph Zielhofer, Marie Kaniecki, Anne Köhler, Vera Seeburg, A. Di Rollo, Laura Bergmann, Stefanie Berg, Barbara Stammel, Rita Gudermann, William J. Fletcher, Ulrike Werban, Anja Linstädter, Natascha Mehler","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-74-105-2025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-74-105-2025","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Systematic human intervention in wetlands has been taking place in central Europe for several centuries. The Donaumoos fen in Upper Bavaria, Germany, has been cultivated since 1788, resulting in the permanent loss of its natural state. The adjacent Danube River was straightened during the same period. This study presents a quantitative reconstruction over a 235-year-long time frame of the development of the natural Donaumoos fen and Danube River into a human-dominated landscape (anthroposphere). The selected quantitative proxies for the change in the socio-ecological system are the Donaumoos drainage ditch lengths and changes in Danube surface water area traced through the analysis of old maps. A multi-temporal series of old maps from 1788 to 2023 are used to document land reclamation in the Donaumoos and hydro-engineering activities in the Danube floodplain. A comparison of the quantitative data on the development of drainage ditch lengths with the state of research from written sources leads to the discovery of potential great transitions in floodplain and peatland changes and associated human drivers as well as consequences for society in the region. One phase of great transition with far-reaching human interventions spanned 1788 to 1794 and a second phase ran from 1907 to 1959. However, the phases of substantial transitions with river straightening, land reclamation and colonization were embedded in multi-decadal intervals of setbacks and socio-ecological stagnation. Regarding the future, an updated economic and ecological understanding of resources is difficult to implement for the Donaumoos because socio-ecological path dependencies present challenges for the sustainable development of the Donaumoos, in particular, the ongoing and self-reinforcing mechanism of peat subsidence in parallel with the ongoing pressure for drainage under continued agricultural use of the former fen.","PeriodicalId":41851,"journal":{"name":"E&G Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"74 1","pages":"105-124"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://egqsj.copernicus.org/articles/74/105/2025/egqsj-74-105-2025.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147891376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A 1100-year multi-proxy palaeoenvironmental record from Lake Höglwörth, Bavaria, Germany","authors":"Sudip Acharya, Maximilian Prochnow, Thomas Kasper, Linda Langhans, Peter Frenzel, Paul Strobel, Marcel Bliedtner, Gerhard Daut, Christopher Berndt, Sönke Szidat, Gary Salazar, Antje Schwalb, Roland Zech","doi":"10.5194/egqsj-72-219-2023","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-72-219-2023","url":null,"abstract":"Abstract. Anthropogenic activities have exerted strong influence on ecosystems worldwide, particularly since 1950 CE. The local impact of past human activities often started much earlier and deserves detailed study. Here, we present an environmental record from a 278 cm long sedimentary core from Lake Höglwörth (Bavaria, Germany). Sedimentological and geochemical parameters indicate that the organic-rich bottom sediments of the record consist of peat that formed prior to 870-160+140 CE, when lake sediments started to accumulate. After 870-160+140 CE, distinct shifts in lithology, elemental composition, and the biological record are visible and are interpreted to result from the construction of a monastery on the lake peninsula in 1125 CE and/or the damming of the lake. From 1120±120 to 1240-120+110 CE, the lake environment was relatively stable. This period was followed by enhanced deforestation that led to a more open landscape and soil erosion, visible in increased allochthonous input from 1240-120+110 to 1380-110+90 CE. This was accompanied by high aquatic productivity and bottom or interstitial water anoxia from 1310-120+100 to 1470-100+90 CE, possibly triggered by increased nutrient availability. Enhanced allochthonous input and a substantial shift in the aquatic community can be assigned to the construction of a flour mill and related rerouting of a small creek in 1701 CE. High aquatic productivity and bottom or interstitial water anoxia after 1960±10 CE correspond to recent eutrophication resulting from accelerated local anthropogenic activities. The sedimentary record from Lake Höglwörth exemplarily demonstrates that anthropogenic activities have had substantial environmental impacts on aquatic environments during the past millennium.","PeriodicalId":41851,"journal":{"name":"E&G Quaternary Science Journal","volume":"55 12","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134902953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}