TY - GEN A1 - Seiffert, Thomas A1 - Nenov, Rossen A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Veste, Maik A1 - Raab, Thomas ED - Holzheu, Stefan ED - Thies, B. T1 - Microdrone-based photogrammetry for water catchment monitoring T2 - Dimensions of ecology - from global change to molecular ecology, (GfÖ) 39th annual conference, University of Bayreuth, 14th - 18th September 2009 Y1 - 2009 SP - S. 129 PB - Bayreuther Zentrum für Ökologie und Umweltforschung (BayCEER) Selbstverlag CY - Bayreuth ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schneider, Anna A1 - Gerke, Horst H. A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Raab, Thomas T1 - Initial phases of landform evolution in a small catchment T2 - European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2014, Vienna, Austria, 27 April – 02 May 2014 N2 - During initial phases of landform evolution, the surface of sediment bodies is commonly not yet equilibrated with the environmental conditions and is thus liable to rapid changes by accelerated geomorphic activity. Geomorphic processes acting during these early development phases depend on the initial sediment composition and the subsurface and surface structures of the geosystem; at the same time, these processes lead to landscape structures that constitute boundary conditions for further ecosystem development. Y1 - 2014 UR - http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2014/EGU2014-2789-1.pdf N1 - EGU2014-2789-1 PB - European Geophysical Society CY - Katlenburg-Lindau ER - TY - GEN A1 - Byizigiro, Rutazuyaza Vaillant A1 - Raab, Thomas A1 - Maurer, Thomas T1 - Small-scale opencast mining: an important research field for anthropogenic geomorphology T2 - Die Erde N2 - Artisanal and small-scale mining (A&SM) is a growing economic sector in many third-world countries. This review focuses on anthropo-geomorphic factors and processes associated with small-scale opencast mining (SSOM), a form of A&SM in which near-surface ores are extracted by removing relatively thin covers of soil, bedrock or sediments. Being widespread and commonly conducted without proper planning and beyond the control of local authorities, this form of mining has potentially large impacts on landforms and landscape dynamics, often resulting in drastic consequences for the local environment and agriculture. SSOM should be regarded as a component of anthropogenic geomorphology because it involves the role of humans in creating landforms and modifying the operation of natural geomorphological processes, such as weathering, erosion, transport and deposition. By initiating new and modifying natural geomorphic processes, SSOM causes and/or accelerates geomorphic processes, resulting in various forms of land degradation. While the direct geomorphic impact of SSOM is in general easily discernible and leads to characteristic features, such as excavated pits and overburden spoil heaps, many secondary impacts are attributed to geomorphic processes triggered in the wake of the primary mining-induced landscape alterations. The magnitude of such secondary implications may well extend beyond the actual mining areas, but these effects have not been thoroughly addressed in the research so far. This review summarizes the known studies on the geomorphic impacts of SSOM operations and highlights common geomorphic processes and landforms associated with this type of anthropogenic activity, thus establishing a starting point for further in-depth research. Y1 - 2015 U6 - https://doi.org/10.12854/erde-146-21 VL - 146 IS - 4 SP - 213 EP - 231 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schneider, Anna A1 - Gerke, Horst H. A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Raab, Thomas T1 - Evolution of hydro-geomorphic connectivity in an experimental catchment T2 - American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting San Franisco, USA, 2014 N2 - During initial phases of landform evolution, the surface of sediment bodies is commonly not yet equilibrated with the environmental conditions and is thus liable to rapid changes by accelerated geomorphic activity. Hydro-geomorphic processes acting during these early development phases often lead to the emergence of surface structures that constitute the boundary conditions for further ecosystem development, and of linear erosion features that act as pathways for water, solute and sediment transport, and thus can increase the system's connectivity. Studies on initial landform evolution are often limited to relatively small-scale experiments or rely on modeling exercises. Larger-scale experiments can be carried out in constructed hydrological catchments with well-known and documented initial conditions. The central aim of this work was to describe the hydro-geomorphic surface structure evolution during the initial years of ecosystem development, its dependence on initial and boundary conditions; and on its relations to hydro-geomorphic connectivity. The data are from the 6-ha, constructed hydrological catchment 'Hühnerwasser'. Hydro-geomorphic development was quantified using a combined analysis of digital elevation models and aerial photographs. Empirical results were compared with those obtained with a numerical landscape evolution model. Phases of rill network growth, contraction and stabilization could be characterized. Results show influences of initial morphology, precipitation characteristics, and developing structure-process-interactions on rill network geometry and connectivity increase in the catchment. The results suggest that phases of hydro-geomorphic surface structure evolution can be related to the spatial organization of surface flow patterns during initial phases of landform development. Y1 - 2014 UR - http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AGUFM.H52B..02S N1 - H52B-02 ER - TY - GEN A1 - Raab, Thomas A1 - Krümmelbein, Julia A1 - Schneider, Anna A1 - Gerwin, Werner A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Naeth, M. Anne T1 - Initial Ecosystem Processes as Key Factors of Landscape Development - A Review T2 - Physical Geography Y1 - 2012 SN - 1930-0557 VL - 33 IS - 4 SP - 305 EP - 343 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Schneider, Anna A1 - Gerke, Horst H. A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Nenov, Rossen A1 - Raab, Thomas T1 - Hydro-geomorphic differentiation of an artificial catchment during the initial phase of ecosystem development T2 - AGU Fall Meeting 2011, San Francisco, Calif., 5-9 Dec. 2011 Y1 - 2011 SP - H31A-1134 ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Gerke, Horst H. A1 - Schneider, Anna A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Raab, Thomas T1 - Quantification and reconstruction of Initial 3D Sediment Mass Distribution in an Artificially-Created Catchment Area Using GOCAD T2 - American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting - Eos transactions N2 - For systems such as soils or watersheds, the initial distribution of sediment mass and composition at the starting point of the development are mostly not well-known. The development of such systems, however, has frequently been assumed to depend on boundary and initial conditions including the solid phase. Here, an experimental watershed of about 6 ha surface area was artificially-created in order to imitate an initial stage just at the beginning of the geo-ecosystem development. However, sediment homogeneity could not be achieved for this large-scale field experiment, and the 3D spatial distribution of structures and components remained uncertain. The objective of this study was to quantify and reconstruct the initial sediment distribution and the first development stages using aerial photographs, point information, and a 3D model. The watershed was made of coarse-textured sediments of quaternary origin with a low permeable clay liner as the bottom boundary. A 2D horizontal digital elevation model (DEM) of the surface and a DEM of the subsurface clay layer are used to construct a 3D triangulated numerical grid of the catchment’s initial spatial structure using the 3D-GIS software GOCAD. Physical and chemical soil properties obtained from borehole samples are assigned to this model and interpolated onto the 3D grid. The volumetric changes in space and time are quantified and related to material properties to obtain the mass changes. Correlations between terrain attributes, sediment properties, and mass changes are explored specifically in regions of differing source materials. A temporal sequence of surface DEMs is obtained from photogrammetric, high-precision ground based laser scanning and airborne laser scanning data. 3D models of elevation change are constructed from these DEMs. The processes following the initial state are mainly characterized by runoff-induced erosive mass relocations related to the distribution of surface and subsurface structures and sediment properties. The results suggest that both sediment structures and mass translocations differ between the western and eastern parts of the watershed and that correlations between initial surface structures and subsequent mass changes exist. KW - Biogeosciences KW - Biogeosciences / Ecosystems, structure and dynamics KW - Biogeosciences / Modeling KW - Biogeosciences / Soils / pedology KW - Earth and Planetary Surface Processes (EP) KW - 2009 Fall Meeting Y1 - 2009 N1 - EP31B-0592 Abstract VL - 90 IS - 52, Suppl. ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Schneider, Anna A1 - Gerke, Horst H. T1 - Modelling the initial structure dynamics of soil and sediment exemplified for a constructed hydrological catchment T2 - European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2014, Vienna, Austria, 27 April – 02 May 2014 N2 - Knowledge about spatial heterogeneity is of essential for the analysis of the hydrological catchment behavior. Heterogeneity is directly related to the distribution of the solid phase, and in initial hydrological systems, the solid phase is mainly composed of mineral particles. In artificial catchments, such sediment structures relate to the applied construction technology. It is supposed that the development of catchment ecosystems is strongly influenced by such specific initial spatial distributions of the solid phase. Moreover, during the initial development period, the primary structures in a catchment are altered rapidly by translocation processes, thereby subdividing the initial system in different compartments. Questions are: How does initial sediment distribution affect further structural development? How is catchment hydrology influenced by the initial structural development? What structures have a relevant impact on catchment-scale hydrological behavior? Y1 - 2014 UR - http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2014/EGU2014-12462-1.pdf N1 - EGU2014-12462-1 PB - European Geophysical Society CY - Katlenburg-Lindau ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Schapp, Andrea A1 - Büchner, Steffen A1 - Menzel, Hannes A1 - Hinz, Christoph T1 - Measurement of rainfall distribution on a small catchment for the evaluation of canopy interception effects T2 - European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2014, Vienna, Austria, 27 April – 02 May 2014 N2 - Variability of rainfall and throughfall is an essential characteristic of the water balance at spatial scales ranging from meters to hundreds of meters or even kilometers. The amount of throughfall is governed by the characteristics of the vegetation canopy and the involved interception and stemflow effects. In initial, developing ecosystems, distinct patterns of the growing vegetation (e.g. patchiness) supposedly govern the spatial distribution of water in the system, thereby initiating and supporting hydro-ecological feedback processes. Questions are i) is the spatial variability of vegetation relevant for the system as a whole, and ii) how does the distribution of the effective precipitation (i.e. the infiltration) change over time in dependency of vegetation succession? We present the first results of a spatially distributed measurement approach of surface-near precipitation on the constructed catchment “Hühnerwasser” (“Chicken Creek”). The 6-ha site is located in the recultivation area of the lignite open-cast mine “Welzow-Süd” in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany. Here, the free development of an initial ecosystem is investigated since September 2005. After eight years of succession, the spatial distribution of plant species is highly heterogeneous, and gains increasing influence on throughfall patterns, thus impacting the distribution of soil humidity and possibly even surface runoff. For spatially distributed precipitation measurement, 47 tipping bucket rain gauges were installed in heights of 0.5 m and 1.0 m along two transects on the catchment. Rain gauge data were collected by a wireless sensor node network provided by the Sens4U joint research project. The transects run NW-SE and NE-SW and cover the range of plant communities presently existing in the ecosystem: locust copses, dense sallow thorn bushes and reeds, base herbaceous and medium-rise small-reed vegetation, and open areas covered by moss and lichens. The raw measurement data were temporally aggregated using a VBA script in order to characterize interception for various types of precipitation events on different time scales. First results from the measurement period 17th July – 3rd September 2013 widely exhibit a good accordance with reference data from on-site weather stations for sites on open ground, while canopy sites show more heterogeneous values, either due to interception or due to canopy collection effects. However, it was found that the explanation of the differences between comparable sites requires an additional inclusion of other relevant parameters, e.g. wind speed and direction, screening effects, and specific canopy characteristics. Moreover, extreme precipitation events sometimes seemed to lead to incorrect measurements either by the sensor and / or node, which required supplementary quality controls of equipment and data. Results from future long-term measurements on the “Hühnerwasser” catchment will be used to identify possible plant-soil feedback mechanisms and to parameterize models that simulate the behavior of initial eco-hydrological systems Y1 - 2014 N1 - EGU2014-12176 PB - European Geophysical Society CY - Katlenburg-Lindau ER - TY - CHAP A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Trujillo Siliézar, Carlos Gustavos A1 - Oeser, Anne A1 - Pohle, Ina A1 - Hinz, Christoph T1 - A methodology for investigating interdependencies between measured throughfall, meteorological variables and canopy structure on a small catchment T2 - European Geosciences Union, General Assembly 2016, Vienna, Austria N2 - In evolving initial landscapes, vegetation development depends on a variety of feedback effects. One of the less understood feedback loops is the interaction between throughfall and plant canopy development. The amount of throughfall is governed by the characteristics of the vegetation canopy, whereas vegetation pattern evolution may in turn depend on the spatio-temporal distribution of throughfall. Meteorological factors that may influence throughfall, while at the same time interacting with the canopy, are e.g. wind speed, wind direction and rainfall intensity. Our objective is to investigate how throughfall, vegetation canopy and meteorological variables interact in an exemplary eco-hydrological system in its initial development phase, in which the canopy is very heterogeneous and rapidly changing. For that purpose, we developed a methodological approach combining field methods, raster image analysis and multivariate statistics. The research area for this study is the Hühnerwasser (‘Chicken Creek’) catchment in Lower Lusatia, Brandenburg, Germany, where after eight years of succession, the spatial distribution of plant species is highly heterogeneous, leading to increasingly differentiated throughfall patterns. The constructed 6-ha catchment offers ideal conditions for our study due to the rapidly changing vegetation structure and the availability of complementary monitoring data.Throughfall data were obtained by 50 tipping bucket rain gauges arranged in two transects and connected via a wireless sensor network that cover the predominant vegetation types on the catchment (locust copses, dense sallow thorn bushes and reeds, base herbaceous and medium-rise small-reed vegetation, and open areas covered by moss and lichens). The spatial configuration of the vegetation canopy for each measurement site was described via digital image analysis of hemispheric photographs of the canopy using the ArcGIS Spatial Analyst, GapLight and ImageJ software. Meteorological data from two on-site weather stations (wind direction, wind speed, air temperature, air humidity, insolation, soil temperature, precipitation) were provided by the ‘Research Platform Chicken Creek’. Data were combined and multivariate statistical analysis (PCA, cluster analysis, regression trees) were conducted using the R-software to i) obtain statistical indices describing the relevant characteristics of the data and ii) to identify the determining factors for throughfall intensity. The methodology is currently tested and results will be presented. Preliminary evaluation of the image analysis approach showed only marginal, systematic deviation of results for the different software tools applied, which makes the developed workflow a viable tool for canopy characterization. Results from this study will have a broad spectrum of possible applications, for instance the development / calibration of rainfall interception models, the incorporation into eco-hydrological models, or to test the fault tolerance of wireless rainfall sensor networks. Y1 - 2016 UR - http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EGU2016/EGU2016-4729-1.pdf N1 - EGU2016-4729-1 PB - European Geophysical Society CY - Katlenburg-Lindau ER - TY - GEN A1 - Maurer, Thomas A1 - Gerke, Horst H. T1 - Processes and modeling of initial landscape development – a review T2 - Vadose Zone Journal N2 - The development pathway of a landscape depends to a degree on the initial spatial distributions of mineral and organic components. The interaction between structures and ecohydrological processes during the critical initial development period is scarcely understood and often difficult to observe. While viable modeling approaches exist for most aspects of initial development (e.g., landscape evolution, vegetation succession), a deeper understanding of the prevailing feedback mechanisms requires a comprehensive, integrated modeling approach. We present a review of the current literature regarding the description of initial structures, the state-of-the-art of research on structure-forming processes and their interaction with existing and newly emerging structures, as well as the corresponding modeling efforts. The most relevant aspects are (i) sediment translocation processes and initial evolution of topography, (ii) surface crusting, (iii) vegetation succession, and (iv) the evolution of the soil pore space. Based on existing conceptions for integrated modeling of the coevolution of structures and ecohydrological behavior, we outline an integrative modeling framework that is based on a three-dimensional spatial structural model of initial sediment distributions, which can be used to: (i) analyze the spatiotemporal development dynamics depending on initial structures; and (ii) relate the simulated structural development to available observations of initial ecohydrological development. We discuss possible validation and generalization strategies of modeling results, and propose to define three-dimensional spatial functional catchment units (process domains) characterized by specific structural dynamics and the dominant ecohydrological processes. Y1 - 2016 UR - http://vzj.geoscienceworld.org/content/15/12/vzj2016.05.0048.full U6 - https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2016.05.0048 SN - 1539-1663 VL - 15 IS - 12 ER -