Human impact on fluvial regimes and sediment flux during the Holocene: Review and future research agenda

Hoffmann, Thomas; Thorndycraft, Varyl R.; Brown, A. G.; Coulthard, Tom; Damnati, Brahim; Kale, Vivek; Middelkoop, H.; Notebaert, Bastiaan; Walling, Desmond E.

doi:10.1016/j.gloplacha.2010.04.008

Cited by 146 publications

(94 citation statements)

References 110 publications

(130 reference statements)

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“…Thus, without any major change in land uses, the region was subtly transformed due to the abandonment of agriculture and livestock farming activities. It is not possible to know how these changes may have influenced infiltration and run-off because the interactions between land uses and floods are controversial and poorly understood (Estrela et al, 2001;Hoffmann et al, 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between precipitation and floods in the fluvial basins of Central Spain based on documentary sources from the end of the 16th century

Bullón

2011

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. This study presents the results of a historic reconstruction based upon documentary sources of precipitation and floods during the last fifty years of the 16th century in Central Spain. We used data from primary sources contemporary to the events rather than compilations or secondary references. These documents belong to the institutions that administered the study area during the time period of interest and consist of municipal or monastic minute books and administrative texts from properties belonging to the nobility and royal family. Direct data that explicitly describe meteorological or flood-related events are haphazardly distributed throughout personal correspondence and various reports, and the sizes of floods or precipitation events can also be deduced from indirect data. We analysed the qualitative data by transforming them into numerical indices of intensity/duration for precipitation and intensity/area for floods. We differentiated three sets of years that presented different hydrological patterns. The first period, from 1554 to 1575, exhibited regular precipitation patterns associated with low-intensity floods. The second, from 1576 to 1584, was characterised by low precipitation levels and few floods. The third, from 1585 to 1599, showed intense precipitation with large floods interspersed with long-lasting droughts. We interpret these results in the context of the environmental and land-use patterns of the time period studied, which coincided with a period of low temperatures.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationships between precipitation and floods in the fluvial basins of Central Spain based on documentary sources from the end of the 16th century

Bullón

2011

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

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“…The most significant change in AL MAR and inferred erosion is the rapid increase that begins in the twentieth century. Increased erosion and sediment flux are widely cited as a consequence of deforestation and agriculture activity [Bierman et al, 1997;Costa, 1975;Hoffmann et al, 2010;Montgomery et al, 2000;Wilkinson and McElroy, 2007]. The gradual increase in MAR from~1750 C.E.…”

Section: 1002/2015gl064436mentioning

confidence: 99%

Contrasting human versus climatic impacts on erosion

Cook

Yellen

Woodruff

et al. 2015

Geophysical Research Letters

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Both human activity and climate change can influence erosion rates and initiate rapid landscape change. Understanding the relative impact of these factors is critical to managing the risks of extreme erosion related to flooding and landslide occurrence. Here we present a 2100 year record of sediment mass accumulation and inferred erosion based on lacustrine sediment cores from Amherst Lake, Vermont, USA. Using deposition from August 2011 Tropical Storm Irene as a modern analogue, we identified distinct event deposits indicative of destructive erosion events. These deposits record a prolonged (multidecadal) interval of enhanced erosion following the initial storm‐induced landscape disturbance. The direct impact of human land cover alteration is minimal in comparison to the more recent twentieth century increase in the occurrence of catastrophic erosion linked to overall wetter conditions that favor high erosion rates and more easily trigger landslides during periods of extreme precipitation.

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“…Human pressure on aquatic systems is increasing, and informed decisions based on scientific facts are necessary to mitigate or optimize this process (Hoffmann et al, 2010). Interest in the past is part of various sciences dealing with aquatic systems for different reasons.…”

Section: Why Bother With the Past?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Historic maps as a data source for socio-hydrology: a case study of the Lake Balaton wetland system, Hungary

Zlinszky

Timár

2013

Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci.

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Abstract. Socio-hydrology is the science of human influence on hydrology and the influence of the water cycle on human social systems. This newly emerging discipline inherently involves a historic perspective, often focusing on timescales of several centuries. While data on human history is typically available for this time frame, gathering information on the hydrological situation during such a period can prove difficult: measured hydrological data for such long periods are rare, while models and secondary data sets from geomorphology, pedology or archaeology are typically not accurate enough over such a short time. In the first part of this study, the use of historic maps in hydrology is reviewed. Major breakthroughs were the acceptance of historic map content as valid data, the use of preserved features for investigating situations earlier than the map, and the onset of digital georeferencing and data integration. Historic maps can be primary quantitative sources of hydro-geomorphological information, they can provide a context for point-based measurements over larger areas, and they can deliver time series for a better understanding of change scenarios.In the second part, a case study is presented: water level fluctuations of Lake Balaton were reconstructed from maps, levelling logs and other documents. An 18th century map system of the whole 5700 km 2 catchment was georeferenced, integrated with two 19th century map systems, and wetlands, forests and open water digitized. Changes in wetland area were compared with lake water level changes in a 220 yr time series. Historic maps show that the water level of the lake was closer to present-day levels than expected, and that wetland loss pre-dates drainage of the lake.The present and future role of historic maps is discussed. Historic hydrological data has to be treated with caution: while it is possible to learn form the past, the assumption that future changes will be like past changes does not always hold. Nevertheless, old maps are relatively accessible data sets and the knowledge base for using them is rapidly growing, and it can be expected that long-term time series will be established by integrating georeferenced map systems over large areas.In the Appendix, a step-by-step guide to using historic maps in hydrology is given, starting from finding a map, through georeferencing and processing the map to publication of the results.

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Human impact on fluvial regimes and sediment flux during the Holocene: Review and future research agenda

Cited by 146 publications

References 110 publications

Relationships between precipitation and floods in the fluvial basins of Central Spain based on documentary sources from the end of the 16th century

Relationships between precipitation and floods in the fluvial basins of Central Spain based on documentary sources from the end of the 16th century

Contrasting human versus climatic impacts on erosion

Historic maps as a data source for socio-hydrology: a case study of the Lake Balaton wetland system, Hungary

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