Land use and soil erosion during the period of prehistoric agriculture in Southeastern USA

该研究项目旨在探索美国东南部选定的0级和1级流域的侵蚀形式、崩塌沉积物和埋藏土壤，以获取、固化和评估美洲原住民土地利用期间土壤侵蚀的一般数据及其对环境的长期影响。该项目将通过以下方式实现其目标：1)记录崩积、冲积沉积物和掩埋土壤的地层学；2)绘制侵蚀和崩积形式的范围；3)分析土壤和沉积物的化学和物理性质；4)利用各种测年技术（包括放射性碳测年和OSL测年）建立时间控制；5)利用山坡沉积物量化土壤侵蚀。收集到的数据将用于i)比较史前和历史侵蚀的空间范围，以及细微土壤侵蚀对极端事件的短期和长期土壤和地貌影响，ii)评估土壤侵蚀对土壤肥力和史前和历史时期可测量的土地利用变化的反馈机制，以及（iii）估计土壤侵蚀和沉积物沉积对考古特征的长期影响。该结果将为收集美洲原住民土地利用期间土壤侵蚀的新信息提供决定性的一步，从而能够更好地了解美国东南部高地长期人为诱发的景观演变，并为更好地预测景观演变提供数据，以预测未来降水制度的气候变化。

The proposed research project aims to explore erosion forms, colluvial sediments and buried soils in selected 0-order and 1st-order watersheds in the Southeastern USA in order to gain, solidify, and evaluate general data on soil erosion during the Native American land use period and its respective long-term effects on the environment. The project will achieve its aims by 1) recording the stratigraphy of colluvial and alluvial sediments and buried soils, 2) mapping the extent of erosional and colluvial forms, 3) analysing chemical and physical soil and sediment properties, 4) establishing chronological control using various dating techniques including radiocarbon and OSL dating, and 5) quantifying soil erosion using hillslope sediments. The gathered data will be used to i) compare the spatial extent of prehistoric and historic erosion and the short-term and long-term pedological and geomorphological effects of subtle soil erosion against extreme events, ii) assess the feedback-mechanisms of soil erosion on soil fertility and measurable land use changes in prehistorical and historical times, and (iii) estimate the long term effects of soil erosion and sediment deposition on archaeological features. The outcome will provide a decisive step forward to gather new information on soil erosion during the Native American land use period to be able to achieve a better understanding of the long-term human induced landscape evolution in the uplands of the Southeastern USA and deliver data for a better predicting of landscape evolution to future climatic shifts in precipitation regimes.