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BTU
The former royal forest districts around Peitz (South Brandenburg, Germany) were used to produce charcoal for
the ironwork Peitz (1554 to 1856). More than 800 archaeologically excavated ground plans of charcoal kilns give evidence of the burning activity in the study area “Jänschwalde Heide” which is only a small part of the whole forest district. The study area in the apron of the active lignite mine Jänschwalde comprises the royal forest “Jänschwalder Heide” and the surrounding community forests. Our study approach combines archaeological research, a GIS-based approach (historical maps, airborne laser scanning (ALS) data, etc.) and archival studies.
High-resolution digital elevation data from airborne laser scanning (ALS) allow for identification and mapping of so far unknown small-scale relief features that are hidden by forest cover. Especially as a result of historic land use, small anthropogenic landforms can occur, e.g., remains of charcoal kilns on sites that were used for charcoal
production or ridge and furrow systems in former farmland areas. Mapping such relief features and analyzing their spatial distribution patterns can help to understand past land-use systems and their effects on landscapes. To efficiently detect and quantify small-scale relief features from high-resolution DEMs for larger areas, (semi-)
automated mapping routines are required.
During the last decades, archaeological research has revealed that large-scale charcoal burning was carried out
in Lower Lusatia (South Brandenburg) situated within the North Germany Lowland. From the 17th to the 19th century, charcoal was mainly produced for the ironwork in Peitz. Within the framework of the ICLEA project lake
sediments from two lakes, Byhleguhrer See and Großsee, are investigated to study the impact of pre-industrial charcoal production on the environment.
South Brandenburg is the central part of the North European Lowland (NEL) extending as a plain landscape from
the North and Baltic Sea to the foothills of the Central European Highlands and reaching from the Netherlands to Poland. Since many decades lignite opencast mines have been operating in this region which is known as the Lusatian mining district. The total land demand in Lusatia is about 852 square kilometres and mining will continue
for many more years or even decades. Large-scale outcrops resulting from these mining activities are excellent archives to study the younger Earth’s history. The scope of our research in open cast mines is to reconstruct the
Late Quaternary landscape development and to distinguishing natural from anthropogenic forcing and processes. In more detail, the aims are to identify and to quantify the impact of past land uses, i.e. changes of vegetation, landforms and soils induced by agriculture and/or forestry. Here, we are presenting latest results from our research and review important findings giving novel insights into man-induced environmental changes in Lusatia within the past thousands years and thus improving the general understanding of Late Quaternary landscape dynamics.
Accumulation patterns of soil organic matter in forests as a legacy of historical charcoal burning
(2021)
Former field systems (FFS) in recent forest areas of Central and Northern Europe are often discernible by their characteristic morphology with slightly flattened slope areas and intermediary ridges formed by tillage and water erosion. Soils of such lynchet systems feature distinctly modified stratigraphy and properties and thereby constitute a memory of past land use. At the same time, the legacies of past agriculture affect recent forest ecosystems. High-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) allow to identify lynchets over large areas and open up new opportunities to study the spatial distribution patterns and soils of FFS. Within our research on different land use legacy features in forest areas, we study FFS in Northeastern Bavaria (Germany) in a geopedological approach, combining large-scale mapping and spatial analysis with the description and analysis of soil properties for specific sites.
Lynchet areas (and other remnants of pre-industrial FFS) in recent forests were mapped from LIDAR DEMs for an area of 2045 km2 (972 km2 forest area). The mapping results show more than 100 km2 of abandoned field systems within the study area, mostly appearing as lynchet systems. Their spatial distribution patterns differ within the study area, mainly depending on parent material and landform. In the limestone region of the Franconian Jura, FFS occur spatially dispersed, often as considerably small, irregularly shaped parcels, presumably reflecting proceeding abandonment of less productive and accessible fields with intensification of agriculture. In contrast, FFS in the Bohemian Massif in the eastern part of our study area were often found in compounds of many regularly shaped parcels, frequently associated with deserted settlement areas.
Soil stratigraphy and properties were studied for FFS and reference positions (forest areas with no indications of former agricultural use) in six study sites, combining detailed characterization of principal soil profiles and an assessment of spatial variations of soil properties in a near-surface sampling approach. First results show that FFS soils are characterized by truncated profiles over most parts of the treads and accumulation of colluvium confined to relatively small areas upslope of lynchet risers. The depth of soil profile truncation and height of lynchet risers differ, mainly related to slope and erodibility of the initial soils. Stratigraphy of the lynchet soils indicates a gradually proceeding formation. Carbon and nitrogen contents were found to differ between FFS and reference soils and to be more homogeneous within the FFS. Carbon contents were mainly lower in the FFS, while both lower and higher nitrogen contents were observed for FFS soils, presumably related to different duration and intensity of agricultural use.
Overall, the results show that the legacy effects of past agriculture affect large fractions of recent forest areas, and can be of different quality depending on lithology of the soils’ parent material and land use history.
Soil physical properties can show high heterogeneity in forest soils, implying a high spatial variability of soil moisture and plant water availability. Legacy effects of past land use, resulting in a small-scale mosaic of anthropogenically modified and unmodified soils in forest areas, further increase this spatial heterogeneity. The soils associated with relict charcoal hearths (RCH), most prominently characterized by a technogenic layer rich in charcoal fragments, are a widespread example for such land use legacy soils in forest areas.
The objective of our study was to characterize the soil moisture regime of forest soils and RCH soils on sandy substrates in the northeastern German lowlands; and in particular to assess the long-term effect of the prolonged summer drought period in 2018 on spatial and temporal variability of soil moisture. We monitored matric potentials, soil water contents and soil temperature from June 2018 in forest soils in the Tauersche Forst (Brandenburg, Germany). Three soil profiles (one reference forest soil profile and two characteristic RCH soil profiles) were instrumented, sampled for laboratory analyses of bulk density, pore size distribution, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and persistence of water repellency; and root density distribution in the profiles was recorded.
The soils in all profiles show low porosity and plant available water contents. On RCH soils, overall porosity is clearly higher compared with the reference soils, mainly related to larger volumes of coarse and fine pores. Soil moisture monitoring shows very high spatial and temporal variability of the recorded data after the prolonged dry period in 2018, with gradual rewetting over the winter periods and only short-term fluctuations of soil moisture in reaction to high-intensity precipitation events in the summer periods. The comparison of in-situ and laboratory-based water retention data shows strong hysteresis effects during the rewetting, with increasingly clear reactions of soil water contents to precipitation events over the years following the dry period, especially in the charcoal-rich substrates. The differences in soil moisture between the dry and the wetter periods were clearly higher in the RCH soils, which, compared with the reference soils, showed higher water contents under wet conditions and lower water contents under dry conditions. The results affirm that land use legacies can clearly increase the spatial and temporal variations of soil moisture in forest areas.
Former field systems (FFS) in sloped forest areas are often discernible by a characteristic morphology with flattened slope areas and intermediary ridges formed by tillage erosion and colluvial redeposition. Soils of such lynchet field systems feature modified stratigraphy and properties and constitute a memory of past land use. At the same time, the legacies of past agriculture affect recent forest ecosystems. High-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) allow to identify lynchets over large areas and open up new opportunities to study the FFS. Within our research on different land use legacy features in forest areas, we study FFS in Northeastern Bavaria (Germany) in a geopedological approach, combining large-scale mapping and spatial analysis with the description and analysis of soil properties for specific sites.
Lynchet systems (and other remnants of pre-industrial FFS) in recent forests were mapped from LIDAR DEMs for an area of 2045 km2 (972 km2 forest area). The results show more than 100 km2 of FFS, mostly appearing as lynchet systems. Their spatial distribution patterns differ within the study area, mainly depending on parent material and landform.
Soil stratigraphy and properties were studied for FFS and reference positions in six study sites, combining a characterization of principal soil profiles and an assessment of spatial soil property variations. The FFS soils are characterized by truncated profiles over most parts of the flattened slope areas and accumulation of colluvium upslope of lynchet risers. The depth of soil profile truncation and height of lynchet risers differ, mainly related to slope and erodibility of the initial soils. Stratigraphy of the lynchet soils indicates a gradually proceeding formation by tillage erosion. First results of soil property analyses show that carbon and nitrogen contents differ between FFS and reference soils and are more homogeneous within the FFS. Furthermore, physical properties of the FFS soils (bulk density, pore size distribution, hydraulic conductivity) are modified compared to unaffected forest soils through profile truncation and accumulation of colluvium. Overall, the results show that the legacy effects of past agriculture affect large fractions of recent forest areas, and can be of different quality depending on lithology of the soils’ parent material and land use history.
Die Böden im Tagebauvorfeld Jänschwalde - Ergebnisse bodenkundlich-geomorphologischer Untersuchungen
(2014)
Palaeoenvironmental investigations were carried out in the Siedlungskammer (prehistoric settlement area) Burgweinting (Regensburg, Bavaria, Germany) to reveal past settlement conditions and human impact on the environment. Two sequences were obtained from the Islinger Mühlbach Fen, in close proximity to the archaeological excavation site in Burgweinting, which documents an almost continuous settlement history since the Neolithic Period. The analyses of the sequences comprise stratigraphic, geochemical and microscopic charcoal analyses. For chronological information, radiocarbon dating was conducted on a total of 10 samples. Thus, the first long-term fire record was reconstructed for the investigation area, and the results were correlated, based on radiocarbon dating, with the available environmental information and settlement history in the Siedlungskammer Burgweinting. The fire record reveals an almost continuous, but alternating fire history. Furthermore, it shows that fire played an important role in the Siedlungskammer Burgweinting and that most probably as early as the Mesolithic hunterer–gatherers deliberately used fire.
Background
Ridge and furrow (RIFU) systems and associated soils are a widespread legacy of medieval agriculture, are archives of historical land use, and might affect recent ecosystems. Open questions about RIFU formation and potential legacy effects still exist, especially related to physical soil properties.
Aims
Our aims were (1) to characterize the soil properties of RIFU soils and (2) to compare the drought sensitivity and the growth resistance in extremely dry years of trees growing on ridges and furrows, respectively.
Methods
We studied soil physical (bulk density, saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, and texture) and chemical (soil pH, soil organic matter, and nitrogen content) properties and the climate sensitivity of tree growth on RIFU systems for three study sites in Prignitz, Germany.
Results
RIFU systems showed a high spatial heterogeneity of soil stratigraphy due to ridge construction and increased accumulation of soil moisture and organic matter in furrows due to post-abandonment pedogenesis. Slight spatial differences in soil physical properties were found, with increased air capacity in ridge soils and higher available water contents in furrow soils. No differences in drought sensitivity were observed for trees growing on ridges and furrows, except for a wet site, where trees in furrows showed a higher sensitivity. Resistance in dry years tended to be similar or increase from furrows to ridges.
Conclusions
The results reflect a spatial differentiation of stratigraphy and post-abandonment pedogenesis on abandoned RIFU systems and suggest an adaption to different moisture conditions through RIFU construction. Differences in drought sensitivity of tree growth with relative land surface could only be detected for one of the three sites, where trees were found to be less drought sensitive on ridges.
The occurrence, soil parameters and genesis of rubified soils (‘Fuchserden’) of northeastern Germany
(2019)
LiDAR-based high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) can now provide a centimetre-accurate image of the Earth's surface. Soil science is still in the early stages of realising how fundamentally this new technology will change our understanding of the formation, properties and functions of the pedosphere and in particular the uppermost part of it, which usually represents A horizons. With the help of high-resolution DEMs, it is possible to identify and classify small topographic features that were previously not considered in soil mapping. Therefore, precise landform analyses will be crucial in assessing variations in soil horizonation and soil stratigraphy and will provide the framework for a new perspective in Geopedology that truly integrates Geomorphology and Pedology from pedon to soil landscapes. In the digital domain, this geopedological approach is growing rapidly by using artificial intelligence (AI) to automatically identify small landforms and visualise the heterogeneity of diverse pedological information. We present the results of the study of different types of relict anthropogenic landforms (RALs) and highlight their characteristics and differences compared to natural, undisturbed soils. The origins of these relict features can vary greatly, as can their distribution, morphology and age. The analysis of high-resolution relief models in Europe and the USA shows that morphological features can be found, particularly in forest that were created in pre-industrial times. Settlement structures (e.g. stone walls, burial sites) or linear relief forms created by soil cultivation (e.g. field terraces, furrow systems) are common. Relict Charcoal Hearths (RCHs), which originate from historic charcoal burning, are usually small circular platforms surrounded by pits or ditches, but can still cover a considerable part of the area. A relatively complex geomorphology can be observed in historic mining areas, which may include different landform types such as mine shafts and spoil heaps, resulting in a very heterogeneous pedological mosaic. To summarise, all studies reveal a high variation of soil properties controlled by small relief structures. Pedology should take this more into account in the future and improve knowledge of the impact of RALs on the pedosphere and other components of ecosystems.
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 Jänschwalde. However, the excavations are limited to the mine, which only covers a portion of the Jänschwalder 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 Jänschwalder 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 Jänschwalder Heide, considerably more charcoal kiln relicts exist compared with the surrounding communal areas. Furthermore, the charcoal kiln remains in the Jänschwalder 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.
Analysemethoden
(2022)
Die Geoarchäologie verfügt über ein äußerst breites und stetig wachsendes Spektrum an Analysemethoden, die sowohl im Labor als auch im Gelände angewandt werden. Das Kapitel stellt alle gebräuchlichen Methoden vor und soll insbesondere Nachwuchswissenschaftlern als Werkzeugkasten dienen. Zunächst liegt der Fokus auf den bodenkundlich-geomorphologischen Standardmethoden, wie Korngrößenanalyse (Bodenart), Bodenfarbe, Gehalt an organischer Substanz, Carbonatgehalt, Bodenreaktion (pH) und vielfältigen Multielement-Analysen zur Lösung verschiedener Fragestellungen. Für die Paläoumweltforschung haben die Pollenanalyse sowie die Analyse von Nichtpollen-Palynomorphen (NPP) schon seit vielen Jahrzehnten eine große Bedeutung. Für größere biogene Reste stehen die Makrorestanalyse und die Anthrakologie zur Untersuchung von Holzkohlen zur Verfügung. Weiterhin beschreibt das Kapitel die Methode der Mikromorphologie (Dünnschliffe), die Analyse von Biomarkern und stabilen Isotopen sowie die Bestimmung und Einordnung von Foraminiferen und Ostrakoden aus aquatischen Ökosystemen. Beschrieben werden außerdem Ansätze zu Phytolithen und Messungen mithilfe der Fourier-Tranformations-Infrarotspektrometrie (FTIR).
Archaeological excavations have revealed more than thousand charcoal kiln remains (CKRs) in the prefield of
the active opencast lignite mine Jänschwalde, situated about 150 km SE of Berlin (SE Brandenburg, Germany).
The charcoal was mainly produced for the ironwork Peitz nearby, which operated from the 16th to the mid-19th
centuries. In a first approach, to estimate the dimension of the charcoal production, CKRs were mapped on
shaded-relief maps (SRMs) derived from high-resolution LiDAR data (Raab et al. 2015). Subsequently, for a selected test area, identified CKRs on the SRMs were compared with archaeologically excavated CKRs in the
field. This survey showed a considerably number of falsely detected sites. Therefore, the data was critically
re-evaluated using additional relief visualisations. Further, we extended the CKR mapping to areas which are not
archaeologically investigated. The study area, the former royal forest district Tauer, consists of two separate areas: the Tauersche Heide (c. 96 km2 area) N of Peitz and the area Jänschwalde (c. 32 km2 area) NE of Peitz. The study area is characterized by a flat topography. Different former and current anthropogenic uses (e.g., military training, solar power plant, forestry measures) have affected the study area, resulting in extensive disturbances of the terrain surface. The revised CKR abundance in the study area Jänschwalde was considerably smaller than the numbers produced by our first approach. Further, the CKR mapping revealed, that a total record of the CKRs is not possible for various reasons. Despite these limitations, a solid database can be provided for a much larger area than before. Basic statistic parameters of the CKR diameters and all comparative statistical tests were calculated using SPSS. To detect underlying spatial relationships in the CKR site distribution, we applied the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic, a method to test for local spatial autocorrelation between neighbouring sites. The test is available as part of the ArcGis 10.1 spatial statistics toolbox. The outcomes are discussed in consideration of our archaeological, archival and dendrochronological research results.