Evolution of a human-dominated floodplain system: The Wiesent River System in the Northern Franconian Alb (Main catchment) in Early Middle Ages to Early Modern times

人类主导的洪泛区系统的演变：中世纪早期至近代早期北法兰克阿尔布（主要流域）的维森特河系统

• 批准号: 509913780
• 负责人: Professor Dr. Andreas Dix
• 金额: --
• 依托单位: Lehrstuhl für Archäologie des Mittelalters und der Neuzeit
• 依托单位国家: 德国
• 项目类别: Priority Programmes
• 资助国家: 德国
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/509913780?language=en
• 关键词: Evolution; human; dominated; floodplain; system

Riverine landscapes and their associated floodplains are sensitive ecosystems and represent significant economic areas for humans. These landscapes are dynamic by nature and characterised by socio-environmental changes throughout history. In Central Europe, rivers and their floodplains have been subject to a direct (e.g. hydrotechnical installations) and indirect (e.g. sedimentation rate) transformation process especially since the Early Middle Ages. During this period, the direct socio-economic pressure on riverine landscapes became noticeable, with increased settlement and infrastructure activities, such as the establishment of water mills, the opening of valleys and floodplains for transportation on the river as well as on roads along the valleys and the intensification of the agricultural land use of floodplains. At the same time, agricultural intensification expanded throughout the fluvial catchment, causing soil erosion and therefore having a strong impact on the sediment load of the rivers, which significantly changed the floodplains’ morphology. In consequence, at latest during the Middle Ages, natural dominated floodplains and ecosystems converted to dominant human floodplain systems. This transformation process was not unidirectional, but characterized by non-linear and complex feedback and adaptation processes, defining the human – environment interaction. In consequence, direct and indirect anthropogenic processes modified the floodplain, and vice versa, the modifying floodplain has had impacts on societies. The project will focus on two main aspects: (a) Human activities such as hydrotechnical installations, riverine and agricultural economy and their impact on the fluvial morphology, sediment flux and ecology of the floodplain environment, and (b) social response and cultural adaptation to human induced changing floodplain environment. Specifically, the following questions will be addressed: (1) What was the extent of change within the valleys and floodplains? (2) Is it possible to identify periods of intensified change? (3) Which socio-ecological processes were responsible for the transformation from natural to anthropogenic dominated rivers and their floodplains? Following a diachronically approach, the period from the Middle Ages until the Industrial Revolution will be investigated. As model region for this study, the mesoscale Wiesent River catchment (Main / Rhine catchment) and its tributaries of the Northern Franconian Alb in Bavaria / Germany is chosen. Here, high-resolution chronostratigraphical data on sediment fluxes and floodplain development are already available, a prerequisite to successfully follow the diachronic approach to disentangle the complex human – environment interaction. To this end, both classical and innovative (semi-)quantitative methods such as phytolith analyses are applied.

河流景观及其相关的泛滥平原是敏感的生态系统，对人类来说是重要的经济区。这些景观在性质上是动态的，并以历史上社会环境的变化为特征。在中欧，河流及其泛滥平原经历了直接(如水工设施)和间接(如沉淀率)转化过程，特别是自中世纪早期以来。在此期间，随着定居点和基础设施活动的增加，对河流景观的直接社会经济压力变得明显，如建立水厂、开辟河谷和泛滥平原，以便在河流和沿谷道路上运输，以及加强泛滥平原的农用土地利用。与此同时，农业集约化扩大到整个河流流域，造成土壤侵蚀，从而对河流的泥沙负荷产生强烈影响，从而显著改变了泛滥平原的地貌。因此，至少在中世纪，以自然为主的泛滥平原和生态系统转变为以人类为主的泛滥平原系统。这种转变过程不是单向的，而是以非线性和复杂的反馈和适应过程为特征的，定义了人与环境的相互作用。因此，直接和间接的人为过程改变了泛滥平原，反之亦然，改变的泛滥平原对社会产生了影响。该项目将集中于两个主要方面：(A)人类活动，如水利工程设施、河流和农业经济及其对河滩环境的河流地貌、泥沙通量和生态的影响，以及(B)对人类引起的河滩环境变化的社会反应和文化适应。具体地说，将讨论以下问题：(1)山谷和泛滥平原内的变化程度如何？(2)是否有可能确定变化加剧的时期？(3)哪些社会生态过程是导致以自然为主的河流和泛滥平原从自然向人为主导的转变的原因？按照历时的方法，将调查从中世纪到工业革命的时期。本研究选取德国巴伐利亚州北弗兰科尼亚白垩系的中尺度维森特河流域(主/莱茵河流域)及其支流作为本研究的模式区域。在这里，关于沉积物通量和洪泛平原发育的高分辨率年代地层学数据已经可用，这是成功遵循历时方法以理清复杂的人-环境相互作用的先决条件。为此，应用了经典的和创新的(半)定量方法，如植硅体分析。