LS Bodenschutz und Rekultivierung
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The influence of biological soil crusts in natural ecosystems on structures and processes is well investigated. However, in South-Brandenburg (Germany), it is possible to study the development of biological soil crusts (BSC) during initial ecosystem genesis on two artificial water catchments with well-known ages and under differing starting conditions. The two experimental sites are located in the recultivation area of the lignite open-cast mining district of southern Brandenburg with a distance of approximately 1 km between them. Two different topographies were constructed at the experimental sites: the experimental plot at the catchment Neuer Lugteich was shaped like a dune, whereas the artificial water catchment Hühnerwasser was modelled as an inclined slope. The catchment Neuer Lugteich is four years older than Hühnerwasser. The original substrate at Neuer Lugteich is more sandy and carbonate-free compared to the original substrate dumped at Hühnerwasser. At both sites geomorphological differentiation and crust development were compared and the importance of substrate-dependent water availability and crust type clarified. Once settled, the crusts influenced the water regime of the soils by delaying infiltration through enhanced water repellency, and by limiting water infiltration. Chlorophyll analysis revealed that all crusts were at early stages of development. At Neuer Lugteich, the establishment of the biological soil crusts was closely associated with the vegetation succession, whereas no clear succession of the crusts could be observed at Hühnerwasser. The mosaic-like pattern of the biological soils crusts is associated with the distribution of fine-grained material here.zeige weniger
Analysis of 288 percussion drillings from depths of up to seven meters and a 120 m long excavated section provide new and detailed information on the Late Quaternary to Late Holocene floodplain evolution from the most important Central European iron-mining region of the 15th century. The generalized sequence of the Vils River floodplain is built of five units representing facies of different genesis (rock/saprolite, gravel, sand, loam, peat) that are identified by physical, chemical, and mineralogical parameters (grain size, clast shape, and content, TOC, bulk mineralogy). Along the 87 km length of the valley, different units/facies are found at the Upper Vils River (UVR 1-5) and at the Lower Vils River (LVR 1-4b). In both river sections, fine-grained material (flood loam) forms the major part (up to 4 m) of the alluvial sequence. 29 age determinations (24 14C, 4 IRSL, 1 tree-ring analysis) show increasing accumulation of flood loam in the last millennium. The data correlate with the beginning of mining at the Vils River and hence suggest a causal connection with mining activities in the catchment—both on the slopes and in the floodplain—with intense deposition of flood loams.
Our study deals with agricultural recultivation of open cast brown coal mining areas in Lusatia, Eastern Germany. In this region the largest brown coal (lignite) mining area of Germany is located. Lignite mining activities lead to major disturbances of the landscape. Recultivation efforts attempt to regenerate mining areas for agricultural land use options. The geological “parent” material is of saaleian origin, has a sandy texture and was excavated from several meters depths before mining and is now used for recultivating the excavated area. Consequently, it is free of recent soil organic carbon. The substrate itself is unstructured. The partly wet or dry substrate is subjected to strong mechanical stresses during the excavation, deposition, refilling and levelling processes throughout the year. This practice leads to more or less compacted soils/substrates which may result in small yields of agricultural crops. In this context we investigate the effect of different organic soil additives in combination with different recultivation crop rotations on the development of soil structure for improved agricultural land use. Our experimental site has been heaped up and levelled off in 2006 and 2007. On each of the 24 experimental sub areas undisturbed soil samples have been taken to characterise the substrates according to their mechanical and hydraulic parameters and to determine the scattering of these parameters on a site that is assumed to be recultivated as homogenously as possible. First results of our ongoing experimental study indicate that the soil physical properties such as texture, bulk density, precompression stress, air permeability and saturated hydraulic conductivity are not identical on each of the 24 subplots. The soil physical properties behave differently in relation to each other. E.g. we found a negative correlation between bulk density (∼1.35–∼1.90 g/cm3) and precompression stress (∼30–70 kPa) and no decisive interrelation between bulk density and air permeability or saturated hydraulic conductivity.