@inproceedings{RaabRaabTaklaetal., author = {Raab, Thomas and Raab, Alexandra and Takla, Melanie and Nicolay, Alexander and Hirsch, Florian and Schneider, Anna and R{\"o}sler, Horst}, title = {Integrative Application of Traditional and Cutting-Edge Techniques to Reconstruct Holocene Earth Surface Processes and Landscape Dynamics - A Case Study from the Northern German Lowland}, series = {AGU Joint Assembly, Montreal, 2015, abstracts listing}, booktitle = {AGU Joint Assembly, Montreal, 2015, abstracts listing}, pages = {135 -- 136}, abstract = {This study outlines the opportunities to reconstruct Holocene landscape dynamics in active opencast lignite mines in southern Brandenburg (Germany). Studies on extensive outcrops that address geomorphology, pedology and archaeology provide unique insights into human-induced environmental changes. Our approach uses a variety of traditional and cutting-edge techniques to characterize small-scale landforms (high-resolution DEMs by micro-drone and LiDAR), to analyze soils and substrate properties in the field (GPR, ERT, geomagnetics, Field Portable XRF and XRD) and to provide chronological information (OSL, 14C, tree-ring dating). This approach is combined with a GIS for data integration. We present the most recent results and review important findings from the last several years. Studies conducted in the opencast mines focus on soil development and Late Quaternary geomorphodynamics and as well as past land use and the legacy of agriculture and woodland use. Our results regarding the human-induced geomorphodynamics are similar to those in other regions in Central Europe, but we also observe regional differences caused by the local setting, e.g., intensification of soil erosion coinciding with the expansion of farming of cultivated lands in the Slavic Middle Ages. By analyzing LiDAR data the largest area of historical charcoal production in the Northern European Lowland (NEL) has been revealed. We are clearly only beginning to understand the massive dimensions of charcoal production in the region and the impact on late Holocene geomorphodynamics. The usage of new high-resolution imagery is essential to identify small-scale anthropogenic landforms hidden in the landscape. Future work will consist of developing and improving our integrative approach. However, comprehensive ground truth data provided by the archaeological prospections in the open-cast mines are an excellent basis for GIS-based analyses of high-resolution ALS data and geomorphological research.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SchneiderTaklaRaabetal., author = {Schneider, Anna and Takla, Melanie and Raab, Alexandra and Raab, Thomas and Hirsch, Florian and R{\"o}sler, Horst}, title = {Mapping historic charcoal production fields from excavation to landscape scale}, series = {AGU Joint Assembly, Montreal, 2015, abstracts listing}, booktitle = {AGU Joint Assembly, Montreal, 2015, abstracts listing}, pages = {168}, abstract = {In the forefield of the open-cast mine J{\"a}nschwalde (north of Cottbus, Germany), archaeological excavations have revealed one of the largest charcoal production fields described so far. As remains of the historic charcoal kilns, small mounds of sediment rich in charcoal fragments and ash cover the soil surface. We applied a combination of methods for mapping such kiln relicts across a range of scales, in order to analyze the spatial distribution of kiln sites and to improve the understanding of historic forest use systems. In archaeological excavations in the mine forefield, the geometry of kiln relicts could be studied in high detail. We used a microdrone to record high-resolution photographs of excavation sites for the documentation of kiln site ground plans and other traces of historic land use. Based on airborne laser scanning elevation models, kiln site mapping was extended to areas beyond the mine forefield. Manual digitization from shaded relief maps was used for mapping kiln sites in further woodland areas surrounding an historic ironwork north of Cottbus. An automated mapping approach based on template matching was developed to detect charcoal production fields on a larger scale, and was applied for an area of about 1000 km2up to now. In archaeological excavations, about 900 kiln sites have been documented on an approximately 17 km2 large area. Excavation documentations and aerial photographs show variations in the kiln site ground plans. By manual digitization from Shaded Relief Maps, more than 5000 kiln sites with diameters up to 29 m were detected in the 32 km2 area of the royal forest J{\"a}nschwalder Heide north of Cottbus. First results of mapping for larger areas indicate similar densities, but smaller diameters of kiln sites in other charcoal production fields; and show that charcoal production is a so far underestimated component of the land use history in many areas in the Northern European Lowlands.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{SchneiderTaklaRaabetal., author = {Schneider, Anna and Takla, Melanie and Raab, Alexandra and Raab, Thomas and Bonhage, Alexander and Hirsch, Florian and R{\"o}sler, Horst}, title = {Towards an inventory of historic charcoal production fields in Brandenburg, Germany}, series = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2015, Vienna, Austria, 13 April - 17 May 2015}, booktitle = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2015, Vienna, Austria, 13 April - 17 May 2015}, publisher = {European Geophysical Society}, address = {Katlenburg-Lindau}, language = {en} } @misc{RaabTaklaNicolayetal., author = {Raab, Alexandra and Takla, Melanie and Nicolay, Alexander and Schneider, Anna and R{\"o}sler, Horst and Heußner, Karl-Uwe and B{\"o}nisch, Eberhard}, title = {Pre-industrial charcoal production in Lower Lusatia (Brandenburg, Germany): Detection and evaluation of a large charcoal-burning field by combining archaeological studies, GIS-based analyses of shaded-relief maps and dendrochronological age determination}, series = {Quaternary International}, volume = {Vol. 367}, journal = {Quaternary International}, doi = {10.1016/j.quaint.2014.09.041}, pages = {111 -- 122}, abstract = {In pre-industrial times, charcoal burning was a common source of energy across Europe. Charcoal production and its related consequences for the upland environment are well known due to historical and palaeoenvironmental research. In recent years, awareness has grown regarding the use of woods in the lowlands for charcoal production. In the last 20 years, a large charcoal-burning field in Lower Lusatia (Brandenburg, North German Lowlands) was discovered by systematic archaeological excavations of the opencast mine of J{\"a}nschwalde. However, the excavations are limited to the mine, which only covers a portion of the J{\"a}nschwalder Heide and the surrounding forests. In this paper, we present the results of our study regarding the spatial extension and timing of charcoal production in the J{\"a}nschwalder Heide and its surrounding areas. We applied a combined approach using archaeological research results, GIS-analyses of shaded-relief maps (SRMs) and tree-ring dating of selected charcoal kiln remains. Approximately 900 excavated charcoal kiln ground plans were analysed, which provided a solid data basis for our GIS analyses. For an extensive evaluation, we enlarged our study area beyond the limits of the lignite mine. We identified and digitised the remains of the charcoal kilns by creating SRMs from digital elevation models (DEMs) that were based on high-resolution airborne laser scanning data (ALS). The data from the excavated and digitised charcoal kiln remains were analysed in terms of their sizes and spatial distributions. In addition, the dendrochronological ages of 16 selected charcoal kiln remains were determined. This study shows that charcoal production was more extensive than initially proven by archaeological excavations. The remains of more than 5000 charcoal kilns were detected on the SRMs across an area that was twice as large as the excavated charcoal-burning field. In the J{\"a}nschwalder Heide, considerably more charcoal kiln relicts exist compared with the surrounding communal areas. Furthermore, the charcoal kiln remains in the J{\"a}nschwalder Heide have larger diameters, suggesting large-scale charcoal production for supplying energy to the nearby ironworks at Peitz. However, the charcoal production on the communal land was most likely for local crafts. The ages of the charcoal kiln remains indicated that charcoal production occurred between the 17th and 19th centuries, corresponding with the main period of charcoal burning. Overall, our study suggested that charcoal production sites are underestimated in the modern landscapes of the North German Lowlands.}, language = {en} } @misc{SchneiderTaklaNicolayetal., author = {Schneider, Anna and Takla, Melanie and Nicolay, Alexander and Raab, Alexandra and Raab, Thomas}, title = {A Template-matching Approach Combining Morphometric Variables for Automated Mapping of Charcoal Kiln Sites}, series = {Archaeological Prospection}, volume = {22}, journal = {Archaeological Prospection}, number = {1}, issn = {1099-0763}, doi = {10.1002/arp.1497}, pages = {45 -- 62}, abstract = {Analysing the spatial distribution of anthropogenic relief structures can contribute to the understanding of past landuse systems. With automated mapping routines, small relief forms can be detected efficiently from high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs). In this study, we describe an approach for the automated mapping of charcoal kiln sites from an airborne laser-scanning DTM. The study site is located north of Cottbus, Germany, where an exceptionally large historic charcoal production field has been documented in previous archaeological surveys. The goal of this study was to implement, evaluate and improve an automated GIS-based routine for mapping these features based on the template-matching principle. In addition to the DTM, different morphometric variables were evaluated for their suitability to detect kiln sites. The mapping results were validated against a comprehensive database of kiln sites recorded from archaeological excavations and via manual digitization. The effects of irregular kiln-site geometry and DTM noise were evaluated using synthetic DTMs. The results of the synthetic DTM mapping show that the template-matching results differed depending on the morphometric variable used for the mapping process. In accordance with this observation, a validation of the mapping procedure for the field site suggests that feature mapping can be improved. In particular, the number of false detections can be reduced using a combination of morphometric variables. For the validation area, the kiln sites with diameters of at least 10m were mapped using the automated routine, with detection rates that were close to those of manual digitization. Therefore, the described method can considerably facilitate the mapping and distribution analysis of kiln sites or similar small relief forms that are prominent in a specific landscape.}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{HirschSchneiderRaabetal., author = {Hirsch, Florian and Schneider, Anna and Raab, Alexandra and Raab, Thomas and Buras, Allan and Maaten, Ernst van der and Takla, Melanie and R{\"a}biger, Christin and Cruz-Garc{\´i}a, Roberto and Wilmking, Martin}, title = {Effects of historic charcoal burning on soil properties}, series = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2015, Vienna, Austria, 13 April - 17 May 2015}, booktitle = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2015, Vienna, Austria, 13 April - 17 May 2015}, publisher = {European Geophysical Society}, address = {Katlenburg-Lindau}, language = {en} } @inproceedings{BurasHirschMaatenetal., author = {Buras, Allan and Hirsch, Florian and Maaten, Ernst van der and Takla, Melanie and R{\"a}biger, Christin and Cruz-Garc{\´i}a, Roberto and Schneider, Anna and Raab, Alexandra and Raab, Thomas and Wilmking, Martin}, title = {Charcoal kiln relicts - a favorable site for tree growth?}, series = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2015, Vienna, Austria, 13 April - 17 May 2015}, booktitle = {European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2015, Vienna, Austria, 13 April - 17 May 2015}, publisher = {European Geophysical Society}, address = {Katlenburg-Lindau}, language = {en} }