Spatio-temporal dynamics of forest ecosystems revealed by the LiDAR-based characterization of medieval field systems (Vosges Mountains, France)

Keller, B; Herrault, Pierre Alexis; Schwartz, Dominique; Rixhon, Gilles; Ertlen, Damien

doi:10.1016/j.ancene.2023.100374

Cited by 11 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 67 publications

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“…Land use was determined from mapping campaigns using agricultural maps and satellite images, with 1 and 8-m spatial resolution, respectively (Ferrant et al, 2014(Ferrant et al, , 2016Keller et al, 2023;Viaud et al, 2018). In the case of the Naizin and Auradé watersheds that are dominated by intensive agriculture, we distinguished land use and land cover classes between buildings and farms, grasslands, woodlands, and winter crops (wheat) and spring crops (maize in Naizin or sunflower in Auradé) with respect to sowing and harvesting dates (Figure 3).…”

Section: Observation and Available Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Critical Zone Heterogeneity and the Hydrological Diversity Using an Integrated Ecohydrological Model in Three Contrasted Long‐Term Observatories

Ackerer,

Kuppel,

Braud

et al. 2023

Water Resources Research

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An integrated ecohydrological modeling approach was deployed in three long‐term critical zone (CZ) observatories of the French CZ network (CZ Observatories—Application and Research) to better understand how the CZ heterogeneity modulates the water cycle within territories. Ecohydrological simulations with the physically based model EcH2O‐iso constrained by a wide range of observations crossing several disciplines (meteorology, hydrology, geomorphology, geophysics, soil sciences, and satellite imagery) are able to capture stream water discharges, evapotranspiration fluxes, and piezometric levels in the Naizin, Auradé, and Strengbach watersheds. In Naizin, an agricultural watershed in northwestern France with a schist bedrock underlying deep weathered materials (5–15 m) along gentle slopes, modeling results reveal a deep aquifer with a large total water storage (1,080–1,150 mm), an important fraction of inactive water storage (94%), and relatively long stream water transit times (0.5–2.5 years). In the Auradé watershed, representative of agricultural landscapes of the southwestern France developed on molasse, a relatively shallow regolith (1–8 m) is observed along hilly slopes. Simulations indicate a shallow aquifer with moderate total water storage (590–630 mm), an important fraction of inactive water storage (91%), and shorter stream water transit times (0.1–1.3 years). In the Strengbach watershed, typical of mid‐mountain forested landscapes developed on granite, CZ evolution implies a shallow regolith (1–5 m) along steep slopes. Modeling results infer a shallow aquifer with the smallest total water storage (475–575 mm), the shortest stream water transit times (0.1–0.7 years), but also the highest fraction of active water storage (18%).

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Section: Observation and Available Datamentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Critical Zone Heterogeneity and the Hydrological Diversity Using an Integrated Ecohydrological Model in Three Contrasted Long‐Term Observatories

Ackerer,

Kuppel,

Braud

et al. 2023

Water Resources Research

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“…In the Vosges mountain range, among the detected and mapped former field systems, lynchets represent a significant area (Keller et al, 2023). Lynchets are microtopographies that result from erosion and sediment accumulation downstream of an agricultural parcel, creating a ridge (Figure 1a).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These microrelief features are evidence of present or past agricultural use. They can form a dense spatial system, with numerous lynchets spaced from 10 to 50 m apart, and sometimes more, that can cover large areas exceeding hundreds of hectares (Keller et al, 2023). Each ridge or soil bank represents the boundary of a former crop field; hence, a crop field is bounded by two ridges.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lynchets are ubiquitous in northern European landscapes such as Germany (Larsen et al, 2016; Stolz et al, 2012), England (Brown, 2009; Brown et al, 2020; Ford et al, 1988; Sillar et al, 2008; Vervust et al, 2020), France (Bernard‐Allée & Valadas, 1992; Chartin et al, 2011; Froehlicher et al, 2016; Georges‐Leroy, 2020; Georges‐Leroy et al, 2009; Schwartz et al, 2020; Walter et al, 2003), Belgium (Nyssen et al, 2014), Denmark (Nielsen, 1984; Nielsen & Dalsgaard, 2017), the Czech Republic (Houfková et al, 2015; Zádorová et al, 2018), or Poland (Sobala, 2021). Lynchets are a footprint of past activities, which determine a new temporal reference to reconstruct landscape changes over long time scales (Keller et al, 2023). In France, despite the vast reparceling (“grand remembrement”) in the 1950s, lynchets are often preserved in areas of limited extensive agriculture.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exploring the past through lynchet landscapes in the Vosges Mountains and the Lorraine Plateau (France)

Keller,

Vincent,

Schwartz

et al. 2024

Geoarchaeology

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Lynchets are ridges formed by erosion and sediment accumulation downstream of agricultural plots and offer valuable insights into past agricultural activity. These microtopographies cover vast areas and serve as indicators of historical changes in land use. As a result, their ubiquity across Europe makes them particularly interesting. In this study, we propose a geoarchaeological approach to analyze six lynchets, four in the Vosges Mountains and two on the Lorraine Plateau (France). The lynchets can be considered soil archives with no stratigraphic organization or chronological sequence from bottom to top, making it difficult to determine the age of the lynchets and identify changes in land use over time. To this end, we propose the analysis of historical and geo‐historical archives combined with the “pedosedimentary” archives of lynchets through charcoal identification and dating combined with near‐infrared spectroscopy to determine the age, vegetation, and past land use changes associated with lynchet landscapes. By combining these multiple data sources, we are better able to show the chronological development of these ancient agricultural systems and uncover valuable information on landscape history. Charcoal dating suggests a higher frequency of fires from the Middle Ages. The dating aligns with the regional dynamics of anthropogenic fires, indicating a potential use of fire for cultural purposes. We also demonstrate the difficulty of extrapolating the dating of a lynchet to the entire lynchet system. Our results highlight the difficulties of interpreting the formation and dating of lynchets and the lynchet system on the sole basis of charcoal analysis. However, we highlight the value of applying pedoanthracology to lynchets to determine the dynamics of land use change in former fields.

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“…Research on historical field systems is developing rapidly (Brown et al, 2020(Brown et al, , 2021(Brown et al, , 2023Kinnaird et al, 2021;Turner et al, 2021;Vervust et al, 2020). The genesis of different types of landscapes in Europe (Lebeau, 1996;Poschlod, 2015), as well as the historical and ecological factors of parcel boundaries (Kinnaird et al, 2021;Turner et al, 2021) as the main features of field systems in mountainous and foothill landscapes are at the forefront of interest (Fanta et al, 2022;Keller et al, 2023;Silva-Pérez & González-Romero, 2022;Vervust et al, 2020). In the field of research on agricultural settlements in central Europe, the study of the typology and chronology of earthen field-boundary structures (a variation to agricultural terraces) as a key component of the historical landscape has developed (Beneš et al, 2022;Čapek & Holata, 2017;Fanta et al, 2020Fanta et al, , 2022Houfková et al, 2015;Poledník Mohammadi et al, 2023;Shetti et al, 2022;Šitnerová et al, 2020;Škabrada, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The medieval croft plužina field system in a mountain region of central Europe: The interdisciplinary record of the earthen field boundaries in Debrné, Czechia

Poledník Mohammadi,

Šitnerová,

Lisá

et al. 2024

Geoarchaeology

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The integration of archaeological, historical and geoarchaeological records represents a significant contribution to research into the medieval landscape. This study focuses on the medieval field system in the deserted village of Debrné, located in northeastern Bohemia, Czechia. The village features a well‐preserved croft plužina field system, a typical historical landscape of central Europe. The main and most visible elements of the field system are the earthen field boundaries, which were the focus of the geoarchaeological investigations. Archaeological excavations in trench S1 revealed a collection of larger stones at a depth of 1 m, potentially serving a drainage function akin to the observed plužina. Additionally, a boulder paving, identified as a remnant of a path between fields, provided insights into the historical use of the area. In trench S2, positioned closer to the village's core, layers with increasing stone content were recorded at a depth of 130 cm. However, the drainage structure observed in trench S1 was not replicated. The dating of earthen field boundaries indicated the creation of the terrace in the second half of the 16th century in trench S1. In trench S2, radiocarbon dating at a depth of 70 to 80 cm ranged from 1025 to 1175 A.D., predating the first written source about Debrné. Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating in trench S2 suggested exposure to sunlight during the third century A.D. Archaeobotanical analysis of charred macroremains from trench S1 revealed 236 plant macroremains belonging to approximately 20 taxa, showcasing wild‐growing, collected useful species such as raspberry, blackberry and elderberry. Trench S2 yielded 23 plant macroremains belonging to 11 taxa, with similar species as trench S1. Pedological and micromorphological examinations displayed distinct layering in both trenches, showing up to six layers. Micromorphological analysis unveiled vuggy microstructures, varying grain sizes and elemental patterns, shedding light on different periods of occupation. Multidisciplinary investigations of the buried soils forming the earthen field boundaries discovered that the original soil cover comprised automorphic lixisols and cambisols, which also form under present conditions. These results underscore the importance of integrating pedological, geoarchaeological, archaeobotanical and physical data to comprehend the intricate nature of anthropogenic landscape changes.

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Spatio-temporal dynamics of forest ecosystems revealed by the LiDAR-based characterization of medieval field systems (Vosges Mountains, France)

Cited by 11 publications

References 67 publications

Exploring the Critical Zone Heterogeneity and the Hydrological Diversity Using an Integrated Ecohydrological Model in Three Contrasted Long‐Term Observatories

Exploring the Critical Zone Heterogeneity and the Hydrological Diversity Using an Integrated Ecohydrological Model in Three Contrasted Long‐Term Observatories

Exploring the past through lynchet landscapes in the Vosges Mountains and the Lorraine Plateau (France)

The medieval croft plužina field system in a mountain region of central Europe: The interdisciplinary record of the earthen field boundaries in Debrné, Czechia

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