Universität zu Köln

Schmidt, Isabell ORCID: 0000-0002-0836-6862, Boemke, Bruno ORCID: 0000-0001-9373-9389, Herzog, Irmela ORCID: 0000-0002-3457-768X, Koppmann, Claudia ORCID: 0009-0004-5220-5064, Witte, Hannah ORCID: 0000-0001-8985-6902, Sauer, Florian ORCID: 0000-0001-9687-4762, Claßen, Erich ORCID: 0000-0003-0860-7205 and Lehmkuhl, Frank ORCID: 0000-0002-6876-7377 (2024). Assessing the impact of the 2021 flood event on the archaeological heritage of the Rhineland (Germany). Environmental Sciences Europe, 36 (1). pp. 1-18. Springer Nature. ISSN 2190-4715

PDF s12302-024-00991-w.pdf Bereitstellung unter der CC-Lizenz: Creative Commons Attribution. Download (8MB)

Abstract

[Artikel-Nr.: 164] Background: Archaeological sites are increasingly threatened by climate-related hazards. In response, heritage management authorities initiated projects to document damage and plan risk assessment measures. We present a project initiated after the heavy rainfall and subsequent flood event of July 2021, which involved extensive fieldwork to document the damage to archaeological sites in the Rhineland. We use this database to characterise and assess the damage and investigate site-specific and geospatial factors to identify potential predictive parameters for site damage. Results: During fieldwork, we found that the flood damaged 19% of the 538 archaeological sites surveyed. The majority of damaged sites are relatively recent, dating from the medieval or modern periods, and are associated with the use of water power. Damage was mainly caused by erosion, floating debris and washout, e.g. mortar. In a case study, we tested the option of comparing pre- and post-disaster Airborne Laser Scanning elevation data to identify damages. It showed that not only the damage detected during fieldwork was found but also additional areas of loss. In general, however, and quantified based on the entire dataset, the ordnance survey Airborne Laser Scanning data were of limited use for monitoring flood-related damage and could not replace fieldwork. Our statistical analysis of possible risk factors, including both site characteristics and geospatial parameters, using Naïve Bayes Modelling and chi-squared tests, showed that no set of parameters could consistently predict the preservation or damage of archaeological sites across all catchments. In contrast, some external geospatial factors correlated with the occurrence of damage. Conclusions: The study highlights both the strengths and limitations of the approaches used to assess and predict the damage to the archaeological heritage in the 2021 flood zones of the Rhineland. It also demonstrates the complexity of the data and spatial processes involved, which limits generalisation but can still inform decision-making for archaeological site management and on-site protection measures in flood-prone areas. With the prospect of more frequent heavy rainfall due to climate change, the specific needs of the archaeological heritage should be integrated into broader prevention and disaster management plans.

Item Type:	Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Schmidt, Isabell UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0836-6862 UNSPECIFIED Boemke, Bruno UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9373-9389 UNSPECIFIED Herzog, Irmela UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3457-768X UNSPECIFIED Koppmann, Claudia UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5220-5064 UNSPECIFIED Witte, Hannah UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8985-6902 UNSPECIFIED Sauer, Florian UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9687-4762 UNSPECIFIED Claßen, Erich UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0860-7205 UNSPECIFIED Lehmkuhl, Frank UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6876-7377 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-816166
Identification Number:	10.1186/s12302-024-00991-w
Journal or Publication Title:	Environmental Sciences Europe
Volume:	36
Number:	1
Page Range:	pp. 1-18
Number of Pages:	18
Date:	18 September 2024
Publisher:	Springer Nature
ISSN:	2190-4715
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 2: Archäologie, Altertumskunde und Kulturen des Mittelmeerraums > Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte
Subjects:	Geography and travel History of ancient world
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Archaeological site ; Natural hazards ; Damage assessment ; Prevention measures ; Disaster protection plans ; Airborne laser scanning English
['eprint_fieldname_oa_funders' not defined]:	Publikationsfonds UzK
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/81616