von Suchodoletz, Hans; Khosravichenar, Azra; Fütterer, Pierre; Zielhofer, Christoph; Schneider, Birgit; Sprafke, Tobias; Tinapp, Christian; Fülling, Alexander; Werther, Lukas; Stäuble, Harald; Hein, Michael; Veit, Ulrich; Ettel, Peter; Werban, Ulrike; Miera, Jan (2024). Holocene overbank sedimentation in Central Europe between natural and human drivers: The Weiße Elster River (Central Germany) Geomorphology, 449, p. 109067. Elsevier 10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109067
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Von Suchodoletz+al_2024_Geomorphology_Holocene overbank natural human Weisse Elster C Germany.pdf - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons: Attribution (CC-BY). Download (21MB) | Preview |
Up to several meters thick fine-grained Holocene overbank deposits are ubiquitously found in most Western and Central European lowland floodplains. However, despite their large importance for the geomorphological and geoecological floodplain properties, the interplay of different possible causes for their formation are not well understood yet. Most authors suggest human-induced deforestation as the main precondition for sediment mobilization and transport from the slopes to the floodplain, whereas others suggest a stronger influence of climatic factors. This current research gap is caused by often missing well-resolved fluvial chronostratigraphies and spatio-temporal information about former human activity within the studied catchments. To fill this gap we exemplarily studied Holocene overbank sedimentation and possible human or natural drivers in the meso-scale Weiße Elster catchment in Central Germany. To do so, we applied numerical dating as well as sedimentological and micromorphological analyses to Holocene fluvial sediments along three floodplain transects. Furthermore, we built up an unprecedented systematic spatio-temporal database of former human activity within the catchment from the Neolithic until the Early Modern Ages. Together with published paleoclimatic data, this database allowed an unprecedented, systematic comparison of Holocene overbank sedimentation phases with possible external controls. Our data show that some overbank sedimentation phases were directly linked with human activities in the affected site sub-catchments, whereas others were not. Instead, all phases seemed to be linked with natural factors. This difference with most former studies could possibly be explained by previously often limited numerical dating of the fluvial sediments and by largely missing spatio-temporally well-resolved regional settlement records, hindering a precise temporal link of fluvial sedimentation with former human settlement. Furthermore, this difference could possibly also be explained by a relatively high natural sensitivity of the landscape dynamics in the Central German lowlands, showing a subcontinental climate, towards climatic external controls.
Item Type: |
Journal Article (Original Article) |
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Division/Institute: |
School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL > Agriculture School of Agricultural, Forest and Food Sciences HAFL > Agriculture > Soils and Geoinformation |
Name: |
von Suchodoletz, Hans; Khosravichenar, Azra; Fütterer, Pierre; Zielhofer, Christoph; Schneider, Birgit; Sprafke, Tobias  0000-0003-1198-4482; Tinapp, Christian; Fülling, Alexander; Werther, Lukas; Stäuble, Harald; Hein, Michael; Veit, Ulrich; Ettel, Peter; Werban, Ulrike and Miera, Jan |
Subjects: |
C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CC Archaeology G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GB Physical geography Q Science > QE Geology |
ISSN: |
0169555X |
Publisher: |
Elsevier |
Funders: |
[UNSPECIFIED] German Research Foundation (DFG) |
Projects: |
[UNSPECIFIED] Imprints of rapid climate changes and human activity on Holocene hydro-sedimentary dynamics in Central Europe (loess-covered Weiße Elster model region) |
Language: |
English |
Submitter: |
Tobias Sprafke |
Date Deposited: |
20 Mar 2024 11:26 |
Last Modified: |
20 Mar 2024 11:26 |
Publisher DOI: |
10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109067 |
Uncontrolled Keywords: |
Fluvial geomorphology Overbank deposition Central Europe Settlement activity Climate changes Landscape sensitivity Holocene |
ARBOR DOI: |
10.24451/arbor.21441 |
URI: |
https://arbor.bfh.ch/id/eprint/21441 |
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