@inproceedings{HirschMaatenTheunissenMaatenetal., author = {Hirsch, Florian and Maaten-Theunissen, Marieke van der and Maaten, Ernst van der and Schneider, Anna and Raab, Alexandra and Raab, Thomas}, title = {Soil physics and chemistry at a medieval ridge and furrow site in northeastern Germany}, series = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, booktitle = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, publisher = {European Geophysical Society}, address = {Katlenburg-Lindau}, abstract = {The usage of non-reversible ploughs, mainly during the Middle Ages and until historic times, led to the formation of ridge and furrow systems. Due to improvements of agricultural techniques, these historic agricultural sites were often abandoned and are now marginal land. The parallel ridges and furrows are usually, if not destroyed by later conventional ploughing, preserved in present-day forests. In northeastern Germany ridge and furrow systems are normally several decameters long and up to ten meters wide. The height difference between ridge top and furrow bottom is up to 50 centimeters and is expected to cause significant contrasts of soil properties and vegetation. Furthermore, due to the abandonment of sites with ridges and furrows, soils on these sites are unique archives for studies on fertilization, soil carbon dynamics and soil development. Therefore, we are characterizing soil physics (bulk density, saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, texture) and soil chemistry (soil acidity, carbon and nitrogen content) on a type location of historic ridges and furrows about 100 km northwest of Berlin.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{HirschRaabOuimetetal., author = {Hirsch, Florian and Raab, Thomas and Ouimet, William and Dethier, David and Schneider, Anna and Raab, Alexandra}, title = {Soils on historic charcoal hearths - chemical properties and terminology}, series = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, booktitle = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, publisher = {European Geophysical Society}, address = {Katlenburg-Lindau}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2017/EGU2017-4009-1.pdf}, abstract = {Charcoal hearths are a unique archive for the long term interaction between biochar, soil development and plant growth. Charcoal as raw material was crucial for the production of iron in iron works and hence numerous charcoal hearths can be found in the forests near historic iron works in Europe as well as the Eastern United States. Charcoal hearths are round to elliptical forms often around 10 m in diameter, and consisting of a several decimeter thick layer containing charcoal fragments, ash, and burnt soil. We studied the soil chemistry of 24 charcoal hearths and compared them to the surrounding 'natural' soils in Litchfield County, Connecticut. The thickness of the organic rich horizons on the charcoal hearths and their carbon content is remarkably higher than in the surrounding topsoils. The wide distribution of charcoal hearths, their usually high quantity, and their occurrence in different ecosystems underlines their importance for further pedological research.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{RaabHirschVassermanetal., author = {Raab, Thomas and Hirsch, Florian and Vasserman, Oleksandr and Raab, Alexandra and Naeth, M. Anne}, title = {Influence of relief and vegetation on soil properties in a disturbed chernozem soil landscape}, series = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, booktitle = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, publisher = {European Geophysical Society}, address = {Katlenburg-Lindau}, abstract = {In central and southeastern Alberta, chernozems dominate the soil landscape and are divided into several groups that follow the climate gradient from Northwest to Southeast: Dark Grey Chernozems, Black Chernozems, Dark Brown Chernozems; Brown Chernozems. Principles controlling development and distribution of these chernozem subtypes along the ecotone transect are quite well known. However, intensive land use over the last century has affected soils that originally have formed under natural conditions during the Holocene in more than 10,000 years. There is a lack of knowledge regarding soil development in these landscapes on the decadal to centennial time scale. Within this time frame the most important factor of soil formation may be relief, although this has not been properly studied. This study aims to compare soil properties in a typical chernozem landscape where soils have been highly disturbed and parent materials have been re-arranged by surface coal mining.We hypothesize that within 50 years, soils develop with significant differences based on vegetation type and slope aspect. Our study site is the former Diplomat Mine near Forestburg, Alberta where spoils form a small scale ridge and graben topography. The south facing slopes of the piles are covered by grassland, whereas on the north exposition has trees and shrubs. Samples were taken from six sites with differences in topography and vegetation type. Diplomate T1 is at the top of the ridge with grassland, Diplomate S1 is on the southern slope with grassland, Diplomate N1 is on the northern slope with trees, and Diplomate N2 is on the northern slope with shrubs. For comparison we took samples from two sites without slope aspect. One site was an undisturbed grassland (Diplomate Z1) and the other sites were reclaimed piles (Diplomate R1). At each site, five soil profiles were examined and volumetrically sampled (250 cm3 steel ring) in steps of five centimeters to a depth of 30 centimeters. We present first results of basic physical and chemical soil parameters (bulk density, water content, pH, Cstock, N-stock).}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SchneiderHirschRaabetal., author = {Schneider, Anna and Hirsch, Florian and Raab, Alexandra and Bonhage, Alexander and Raab, Thomas}, title = {Assessing the legacy effects of historic charcoal production in Brandenburg, Germany}, series = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, booktitle = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, publisher = {European Geophysical Society}, address = {Katlenburg-Lindau}, abstract = {Charcoal produced in kilns or hearths was an important source of energy in many regions of Europe and Northern America until the 19th century, and charcoal production in hearths is still common in many other regions of the world. The remains of charcoal hearths are therefore a widespread legacy of historic land use in forest areas. Soils on charcoal hearth sites are characterized by a technogenic layer rich in charcoal and ash on top of the soil profile, and by a pyrogenic modification of substrates below the former hearth. The aims of our study are to examine how these alterations to the natural soil profiles affect the soil water regime and other soil physical properties, and to assess the relevance of these effects on the landscape scale. We present first results of a mapping of hearth site occurrence in forest areas in the state of Brandenburg, Germany, and of a characterization of the infiltration behaviour on hearth sites as compared with undisturbed forest soils. Results of mapping small-scale relief features from LIDAR-based digital elevation models show that charcoal hearths occur in a high density in many large forest areas throughout Brandenburg. In the areas studied so far, up to almost 3\% of the soil surface were found to be affected by the remains of historic hearths. First analyses of soil physical properties indicate differences in the infiltration characteristics of hearth site soils and undisturbed forest soils: Hood infiltrometer measurements show a very high spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity for hearth site soils, and water-drop-penetration-time tests reflect extremely high hydrophobicity of the technogenic layer on the sites. Results of dye tracer experiment show considerably strong preferential flow and therefore a higher spatial variability of soil wetness below the hearth remains. Overall, our first results therefore indicate that the legacy effects of historic charcoal production might significantly affect overall site conditions in forest areas with a high density of charcoal hearth remains.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{RaabSchneiderBonhageetal., author = {Raab, Alexandra and Schneider, Anna and Bonhage, Alexander and Raab, Thomas and Hirsch, Florian}, title = {Extensive historical charcoal production in Brandenburg (Germany) - identification of potential areas by GIS analysis}, series = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, booktitle = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, publisher = {European Geophysical Society}, address = {Katlenburg-Lindau}, abstract = {We used a GIS analysis of environmental and historical data to identify potential areas of extensive charcoal production in Brandenburg. The analysis was based on three assumptions (i to iii). Large charcoal kiln fields can be found in areas that i) are close to historical industrial sites, ii) are close to bog iron ore deposits, and iii) have been continuously covered by forest during the last centuries. Information on theses parameters was gathered in an archive and literature study and from historical and recent maps. Areas with a high probability of kiln site occurrence were then determined using a simple binary additive model. In the last step, shaded-relief maps (SRMs) were visually checked for clearly visible kiln sites and soil properties were analysed in the determined areas. In total, eight areas with a high probability of kiln site occurrence are identified for the state of Brandenburg. By visual interpretation of SRMs, high kiln site densities in these areas are confirmed. The analysis of soil maps shows that kiln fields are predominantly located on sandy soils with a low yield potential. Although further parameters and study areas need to be considered in the model in order to explain the spatial distribution patterns of charcoal production, the results indicate correlations between the location of bog iron ore deposits, historic ironworks and charcoal kiln fields.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SchneiderHirschWechleretal., author = {Schneider, Anna and Hirsch, Florian and Wechler, Klaus-Peter and Raab, Alexandra and Raab, Thomas}, title = {Mapping a paleosurface and archaeological site location in an inland dune area in Brandenburg, Germany}, series = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, booktitle = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2017, Vienna, Austria}, publisher = {European Geophysical Society}, address = {Katlenburg-Lindau}, abstract = {Mapping and visualizing the position of archaeological remains in the surface relief provides important basic information for archaeological survey design and interpretation. Geomorphological processes in (pre)history can have resulted in a modification of the local relief around archaeological sites, especially in areas that are prone to sediment erosion and relocation, so that models of past surfaces are necessary for a correct interpretation of archaeological survey results. In this study, we combined terrestrial survey and remote sensing methods to reconstruct the palaeorelief around two archaeological excavation sites in an inland dune area in southern Brandenburg, Germany. Remains from two Mesolithic hunter-gatherer camps were documented in archaeological excavations and found to be associated with a buried soil horizon. To gather information on the relief of the buried soil surface, we used a combination of sedimentological and pedological profile description of archaeological survey trenches and geophysical prospection with Ground-Penetrating Radar; supplemented by microdrone photography and photogrammetry, GPS surveys and analysis of LIDAR-based elevation models. A digital elevation model of the buried surface was created by combining point data from these sources. The buried surface morphology and the position of the archeological remains within the reconstructed landscape were analyzed in GIS. The comparison of the generated paleosurface model with the recent surface elevation model shows that sand remobilization resulted in a considerable reshaping of the relief. Analysis of the buried surface model further shows that the relief position of the two archaeological sites in the study area was considerably more prominent in relation to the corresponding buried soil surface than in relation to the recent surface morphology. Results affirm the importance of considering Holocene relief modifications in archaeological surveys.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{RaabRaabHirschetal., author = {Raab, Thomas and Raab, Alexandra and Hirsch, Florian and Schneider, Anna and Bonhage, Alexander}, title = {Late Quaternary landscape development and legacies of human-induced land use changes in Lower Lusatia, South Brandenburg, Germany}, series = {ICLEA Final Symposium 2017, Human Impact and Landscape Evolution in the Southern Baltic Lowlands, Abstract Volume \& Excursion Guide}, booktitle = {ICLEA Final Symposium 2017, Human Impact and Landscape Evolution in the Southern Baltic Lowlands, Abstract Volume \& Excursion Guide}, editor = {Schwab, Markus and Błaszkiewicz, Mirek and Raab, Thomas and Wilmking, Martin and Brauer, Achim}, publisher = {GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences}, address = {Potsdam}, doi = {10.2312/GFZ.b103-17037}, pages = {182 -- 198}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{HirschSchneiderRaabetal., author = {Hirsch, Florian and Schneider, Anna and Raab, Alexandra and Raab, Thomas and Ouimet, William and Dethier, David}, title = {Late Holocene biochar enrichment in soils - implications of an anthropogenic legacy for ecosystems}, series = {ICLEA Final Symposium 2017, Human Impact and Landscape Evolution in the Southern Baltic Lowlands, Abstract Volume \& Excursion Guide}, booktitle = {ICLEA Final Symposium 2017, Human Impact and Landscape Evolution in the Southern Baltic Lowlands, Abstract Volume \& Excursion Guide}, editor = {Schwab, Markus and Błaszkiewicz, Mirek and Raab, Thomas and Wilmking, Martin and Brauer, Achim}, publisher = {GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences}, address = {Potsdam}, doi = {10.2312/GFZ.b103-17037}, pages = {79 -- 81}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SchneiderHirschRaabetal., author = {Schneider, Anna and Hirsch, Florian and Raab, Alexandra and Raab, Thomas}, title = {Dye tracer visualization of infiltration patterns in soils on historic charcoal hearth sites}, series = {ICLEA Final Symposium 2017, Human Impact and Landscape Evolution in the Southern Baltic Lowlands, Abstract Volume \& Excursion Guide}, booktitle = {ICLEA Final Symposium 2017, Human Impact and Landscape Evolution in the Southern Baltic Lowlands, Abstract Volume \& Excursion Guide}, editor = {Schwab, Markus and Błaszkiewicz, Mirek and Raab, Thomas and Wilmking, Martin and Brauer, Achim}, publisher = {GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences}, address = {Potsdam}, doi = {10.2312/GFZ.b103-17037}, pages = {150 -- 151}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SchneiderHirschWechleretal., author = {Schneider, Anna and Hirsch, Florian and Wechler, Klaus-Peter and Raab, Alexandra and Raab, Thomas}, title = {Mapping a palaeosurface and archaeological site location in an anthropogenic drift sand area}, series = {ICLEA Final Symposium 2017, Human Impact and Landscape Evolution in the Southern Baltic Lowlands, Abstract Volume \& Excursion Guide}, booktitle = {ICLEA Final Symposium 2017, Human Impact and Landscape Evolution in the Southern Baltic Lowlands, Abstract Volume \& Excursion Guide}, editor = {Schwab, Markus and Błaszkiewicz, Mirek and Raab, Thomas and Wilmking, Martin and Brauer, Achim}, doi = {10.2312/GFZ.b103-17037}, pages = {152 -- 154}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SchneiderRaabHirschetal., author = {Schneider, Anna and Raab, Alexandra and Hirsch, Florian and Bonhage, Alexander and Raab, Thomas}, title = {Assessing the legacies of historical charcoal production in Brandenburg}, series = {ICLEA Final Symposium 2017, Human Impact and Landscape Evolution in the Southern Baltic Lowlands, Abstract Volume \& Excursion Guide}, booktitle = {ICLEA Final Symposium 2017, Human Impact and Landscape Evolution in the Southern Baltic Lowlands, Abstract Volume \& Excursion Guide}, editor = {Schwab, Markus and Błaszkiewicz, Mirek and Raab, Thomas and Wilmking, Martin and Brauer, Achim}, publisher = {GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences}, address = {Potsdam}, doi = {10.2312/GFZ.b103-17037}, pages = {155 -- 156}, language = {en} } @misc{HirschRaabOuimetetal., author = {Hirsch, Florian and Raab, Thomas and Ouimet, William and Dethier, David and Schneider, Anna and Raab, Alexandra}, title = {Soils on historic charcoal hearths - terminology and chemical properties}, series = {Soil Science Society of America Journal : SSSAJ}, volume = {81}, journal = {Soil Science Society of America Journal : SSSAJ}, number = {6}, issn = {1435-0661}, doi = {10.2136/sssaj2017.02.0067}, pages = {1427 -- 1435}, abstract = {Historic charcoal hearth remains provide a unique archive of the long term interaction between biochar, soil development and plant growth. Charcoal as raw material was crucial for production of iron in iron works and hence numerous charcoal hearths can be found in the forests near historic iron works in Europe as well as the Eastern United States. Charcoal hearths are round to elliptical forms often around 10 m in diameter, and consist of several decimeter thick layers that contain charcoal fragments, ash, and burnt soil. We studied the soil chemistry of 24 charcoal hearths and compared them to the surrounding 'natural' soils in the northern Appalachians of northwestern Connecticut. The thickness of the topsoils on the charcoal hearths and their carbon content are remarkably higher than in the surrounding topsoils. The presence of residual products from charcoal production classifies the soils as Anthropic Udorthents (US Soil Taxonomy) or Spolic Technosols (Humic) according to the World Reference Base for Soil Resources. The widespread occurrence of charcoal hearth remains and their high spatial density in different ecosystems underlines their importance for further pedological research.}, language = {en} }