Land Use and Cover Change in the Industrial Era: A Spatial Analysis of Alpine River Catchments and Fluvial Corridors
Land uses affect flood risks in various ways. The comparative analysis of the historical and current land cover/uses helps to better understand changing flood regimes. Based on historical cadastre maps from 1826 to 1859, the land cover/uses in the Austrian catchments of the rivers Rhine, Salzach and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2021.647247/full |
| _version_ | 1818827271009468416 |
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| author | Severin Hohensinner Ulrike Atzler Monika Berger Thomas Bozzetta Christian Höberth Martin Kofler Leena Rapottnig Yvonne Sterle Gertrud Haidvogl |
| author_facet | Severin Hohensinner Ulrike Atzler Monika Berger Thomas Bozzetta Christian Höberth Martin Kofler Leena Rapottnig Yvonne Sterle Gertrud Haidvogl |
| author_sort | Severin Hohensinner |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Land uses affect flood risks in various ways. The comparative analysis of the historical and current land cover/uses helps to better understand changing flood regimes. Based on historical cadastre maps from 1826 to 1859, the land cover/uses in the Austrian catchments of the rivers Rhine, Salzach and Drava were reconstructed to almost the level of exact plots of land. Catchment-wide analysis reveals a six-fold expansion of settlement areas, a decline of arable land by 69% and a shrinking of the formerly glaciated areas by 73% until 2016. In the Alpine fluvial corridors, i.e. flood-prone areas at the valley floors and valley sides at ca. 300-year floods, settlements even expanded 7.5-fold, severely increasing the potential for flood damages. At the same time, the overall channel area of running waters has been reduced by 40% and 95% the formerly large wetlands have been lost. Overall, the fluvial corridors were truncated by 203 km2 or 14%, thereby reducing flood retention capacity. The concentration of intensive forms of human land uses at lower altitudes, coupled with an upward shift of less intensively used, near-natural forms of land cover, has led to a both spatial and vertical separation of Alpine landscape features over the long term. Warmer temperatures due to climate change are expected to promote the demonstrated upward shifts of Alpine vegetation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T00:40:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e925141742104e2ca2e3d289eb728a8f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-665X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T00:40:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Environmental Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-e925141742104e2ca2e3d289eb728a8f2022-12-21T20:44:34ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Environmental Science2296-665X2021-06-01910.3389/fenvs.2021.647247647247Land Use and Cover Change in the Industrial Era: A Spatial Analysis of Alpine River Catchments and Fluvial CorridorsSeverin HohensinnerUlrike AtzlerMonika BergerThomas BozzettaChristian HöberthMartin KoflerLeena RapottnigYvonne SterleGertrud HaidvoglLand uses affect flood risks in various ways. The comparative analysis of the historical and current land cover/uses helps to better understand changing flood regimes. Based on historical cadastre maps from 1826 to 1859, the land cover/uses in the Austrian catchments of the rivers Rhine, Salzach and Drava were reconstructed to almost the level of exact plots of land. Catchment-wide analysis reveals a six-fold expansion of settlement areas, a decline of arable land by 69% and a shrinking of the formerly glaciated areas by 73% until 2016. In the Alpine fluvial corridors, i.e. flood-prone areas at the valley floors and valley sides at ca. 300-year floods, settlements even expanded 7.5-fold, severely increasing the potential for flood damages. At the same time, the overall channel area of running waters has been reduced by 40% and 95% the formerly large wetlands have been lost. Overall, the fluvial corridors were truncated by 203 km2 or 14%, thereby reducing flood retention capacity. The concentration of intensive forms of human land uses at lower altitudes, coupled with an upward shift of less intensively used, near-natural forms of land cover, has led to a both spatial and vertical separation of Alpine landscape features over the long term. Warmer temperatures due to climate change are expected to promote the demonstrated upward shifts of Alpine vegetation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2021.647247/fullland cover changeland usehistorical GISflood riskAlpine riversaltitudinal land use shift |
| spellingShingle | Severin Hohensinner Ulrike Atzler Monika Berger Thomas Bozzetta Christian Höberth Martin Kofler Leena Rapottnig Yvonne Sterle Gertrud Haidvogl Land Use and Cover Change in the Industrial Era: A Spatial Analysis of Alpine River Catchments and Fluvial Corridors Frontiers in Environmental Science land cover change land use historical GIS flood risk Alpine rivers altitudinal land use shift |
| title | Land Use and Cover Change in the Industrial Era: A Spatial Analysis of Alpine River Catchments and Fluvial Corridors |
| title_full | Land Use and Cover Change in the Industrial Era: A Spatial Analysis of Alpine River Catchments and Fluvial Corridors |
| title_fullStr | Land Use and Cover Change in the Industrial Era: A Spatial Analysis of Alpine River Catchments and Fluvial Corridors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Land Use and Cover Change in the Industrial Era: A Spatial Analysis of Alpine River Catchments and Fluvial Corridors |
| title_short | Land Use and Cover Change in the Industrial Era: A Spatial Analysis of Alpine River Catchments and Fluvial Corridors |
| title_sort | land use and cover change in the industrial era a spatial analysis of alpine river catchments and fluvial corridors |
| topic | land cover change land use historical GIS flood risk Alpine rivers altitudinal land use shift |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fenvs.2021.647247/full |
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