Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
Way of publication
- Open Access (2)
Keywords
Institute
- FG Geopedologie und Landschaftsentwicklung (85)
- Forschungszentrum Landschaftsentwicklung und Bergbaulandschaften (FZLB) (10)
- FG Bodenschutz und Rekultivierung (2)
- FG Ökologie (2)
- Institut für Medizintechnologie (2)
- FG ABWL, insbesondere empirische Unternehmensforschung und Transformation (1)
- FG Medizinische Informationssysteme (1)
- FG Volkswirtschaftslehre, insbesondere Umweltökonomie (1)
- Zentrale Analytik der BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg (ZA-BTU) / Zentrales Analytisches Labor (1)
BTU
The spatial variability of soil physical properties on the landscape scale is often increased by anthropogenic land occupation, not only by current land use but also through the legacies of past land use systems. The remains of historic charcoal hearts are an example for such a disturbance of the soil landscape by former forestry. Such relict charcoal hearths (RCH) exhibit a clearly altered soil stratigraphy, most prominently characterized by a technogenic substrate layer on the soil surface, and their soil physical properties can considerably differ from those of surrounding forest soils. The aim of our study is to characterize the soil water and temperature regime on RHC in a pre-industrial charcoal production area in Brandenburg, Germany, as compared with the surrounding sandy forest soils. Soil properties were analyzed in profiles on and around hearth sites and are monitored in a sensor transect equipped with soil
moisture sensors and pF-meters. Results of soil sample analyses show differences in density and porosity between the RCH soils and surrounding forest soils, not only in the technogenic layer but also in the buried soil layers on hearth sites. The soil water characteristic curves determined in the laboratory indicate a modified pore size distribution and lower plant available water contents in the RCH soils. Preliminary results of the ongoing soil water monitoring, however, show increased soil wetness in the RCH soils, along with lower soil moisture tensions. Furthermore, the measurements show higher variations of soil temperature in RCH soils. The results affirm that the legacies of historic charcoal production can increase the spatial variability of soil physical properties and therefore also of ecological site conditions in forest areas. The results of soil moisture monitoring suggest that a determination of soil physical parameters in the laboratory is not sufficient to characterize the spatio-temporal variations of the soil water regime.
Occurrence, soil parameters and genesis of Rhodic Arenosols (‘Fuchserden’) in northeastern Germany
(2018)
In der Niederlausitz finden sich - meist unter Kiefern- und Eichenforsten versteckt - zahlreiche Relikte der historischen Landnutzung, die bisher kaum bekannt sind. Zu den auffälligsten Formen zählen Wölbäcker und Plätze ehemaliger Kohlemeiler. In einigen Regionen der Niederlausitz ist die Verbreitung der Landnutzungsrelikte so groß bzw. ihre Dichte so hoch, dass sie prägend für die Bodenlandschaft werden. Dieser Beitrag zeigt an repräsentativen Beispielen die charakteristischen Merkmale und Eigenschaften der Böden auf Wölbäckern und Relikten von Holzkohlenmeilern (HKM).
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.
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.
In the sandy deposits from the Late Pleistocene in the Northern European lowlands, the local appearance of red
subsoils emerges the question of their formation and palaeoenvironmental significance. According to the WRB
this soil is classified as Rhodic Arenosols, but in the German Guidelines for Soil Mapping this soil is still unconsidered because the age and genesis is unclear. Due to the intense red subsoil, the working title of this soil is
‘Fuchserde’. Whereas rubefication is a characteristic feature of soils in regions with warm and dry summers like in the Mediterranean, the occurrence of red subsoil horizons containing hematite in soils in northeastern Germany is not an indicator for tropic or Mediterranean climate conditions. Already the appearance of Fuchserden on sandy
deposits from the last glaciation objects earlier theories that consider these soils as a relictic soil formation from
the last interglacial or even the Palaeogene or Neogene. To characterize the genesis of the Fuchserden, we focused
on four different study sites in northeastern Germany. We present our findings from soil micromorphology and the
identification of the iron(hydr)oxides by FTIR. Our results give new insights on the development of the Fuchserden
and the importance of lateral input of iron for their genesis.
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.
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.
Seit dem Neolithikum wirkt sich die Nutzung der Landschaft auf unterschiedliche Weise auf Relief, Böden, Gewässer, Flora, Fauna und Klima aus. Insbesondere die Folgen land- und forstwirtschaftlicher Wirtschaftsweisen waren dafür ausschlaggebend. Grundsätzlich reagieren Ökosysteme auf anthropogene Eingriffe, wie die Umwandlung von Wald in andere Nutzungsformen, mit einer schrittweisen Degradation sowie reversiblen oder irreversiblen Veränderungen. Beispiele sind Bodenerosion und eine veränderte Artenzusammensetzung. Die Abschätzung des Ausmaßes im globalen Maßstab gestaltet sich generell schwierig. Für die Geoarchäologie bedeutsam sind daher hauptsächlich lokale Spuren früherer Bewirtschaftung und Formen im Kleinrelief, die sich im Gelände wiederfinden lassen und als Geoarchive fungieren. Denn sie geben Aufschluss über (prä-)historische Bewirtschaftungsformen. So zeugen Wölbäcker, Hochbeete, Plaggenesche und die Relikte der historischen Teichwirtschaft, Moorkultivierung und Köhlerei von früheren Formen der Land- und Forstwirtschaft.
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.