The Echaz River is a third-order karst river and a tributary of the Rhine. It originates in the Swabian Alb and cuts a cuesta landscape until it flows into the Neckar River. Structural changes to the natural course and floodplain of the Echaz are mainly due to the exploitation of its water power by mills and the irrigation of the so-called „water meadows“ during the Middle Ages (the water meadows appear in written sources as early as 1289, the mills in 1138 in Reutlingen, and in 1297 in Pfullingen).This study presents the first steps towards a multidisciplinary reconstruction of the Fluvial Anthroposphere, by investigating local medieval pathways and land use in parts of the Echaz floodplain upstream of Pfullingen and downstream of Reutlingen. This reach of the Echaz was a centre of crafts, tanneries, dyeing and paper manufacturing in the Middle Ages. The upstream sites represent areas of anthropogenic influence, with water meadows presumably established in the High Middle Ages, while the sediments and soils of the downstream sites have archived signals of medieval and early modern craft activities (such as heavy metals: chromium, copper, iron, nickel, lead, zinc).These first steps of research comprise the digitisation of old maps combined with information from historical and archaeological archives. A digital relief model in combination with geophysical results from Electromagnetic Induction (EMI) and, Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT) are correlated with soil profiles and soil/sediment cores from the Echaz floodplain, and form the basis for the reconstruction of natural and anhtropogenic stratigraphies.Future work will include the establishment of a chronostratigraphic model with luminescence ages of sediments and radiocarbon dates of charcoal fragments, which will provide the basis for the selection of suitable sites for further analysis, including a combination of digital historical maps and physical-biogeochemical analyses (enzymes for excrement input, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons [PAH] for fire use), stable isotope ratios of C and N for the differentiation of C3 and C4 plants, as well as XRF analysis (for heavy metal pollution) as well as mollusc and ostracod analyses for aquatic habitat and water quality reconstruction.

Floods are one of the most critical environmental threats in Central Europe. In Germany, they are responsible for more than half of the economic damage caused by environmental hazards. The magnitude of the 2021 Ahr flood has far exceeded what was forecast in previous flood hazard assessments. This was due to a significant underestimation of hazards, as the former hydrological models considered instrumental discharge records exclusively. Because the recording period only began in the second half of the 20th century, high-magnitude flood events prior to that period were not considered in flood hazard assessments. Historical flood events from written sources were also not included in official flood hazard assessments. In this study, we show the importance of geomorphological records from Ahr flood deposits for reconstructing past high-magnitude flood events. Our chemo- and lithostratigraphical analysis of four recovered cores from the Ahr floodplain shows that centennial- to millennial-scale high-energy flood deposits are not the exception but the rule. The four floodplain sediment cores record the catastrophic flood of 2021 and the two historical floods of 1804 and 1910, as well as a previously unidentified flood event dated approximately to the end of the 5th century A.D. In addition, the geomorphological analysis in combination with near-surface geophysical prospection shows that the Ahr floodplain is dominated by high-energy flood deposits and that low to medium-magnitude flood events are not preserved in the floodplain stratigraphy. The fluvial geomorphological record proves that the 2021 flood event is not an exception in the Ahr floodplain stratigraphy. In fact, at least three other flood events have been identified in the last 1,500 years that, based on lithostratigraphic parameters, had a comparable magnitude. The results document the high potential of floodplain archives for reconstructing high-magnitude flood events in Central European rivers, allowing a systematic reassessment in terms of the occurrence and frequency of high-magnitude flood events. The occurrence of the large floods in the Ahr valley does not show any clear coupling with the Central European hydroclimatic history. However, what is noticeable is that the historically documented high-magnitude Ahr floods occur during the summer season, which is in parallel with high atmospheric moisture loads.

The North African desert margin is considered one of the most sensitive areas to future climate changes, yet the periodicities, coupling mechanisms and external forcing of Holocene environmental variability remain poorly understood. To investigate millennial- to centennial-scale periodicities in Holocene climatic variability and geomorphological processes, we use a Holocene sediment record from Lake Sidi Ali in the semiarid to sub-humid Middle Atlas with a robust 210Pb / 137Cs and pollen-concentrates-based 14C chronology. We use a high-resolution core scanning-XRF record, in order to distinguish between lake-internal (e.g., chemical precipitation) and lake-external (e.g., detrital input) processes. Redfit and Wavelet time series analyses reveal distinct periodicities of millennial to centennial scale. By a correlation analysis of extracted, highly significant, frequency analysis spectra, three XRF-based “Redfit Proxy Groups” (RPGs) which potentially reflect different hydroclimatic forcing mechanisms were derived. Subsequently, we integrated environmental and climatic proxies from the same core (Cedrus pollen abundance, magnetic susceptibility, δ18O and δ13C values of ostracod shells, grain-size endmembers and total organic carbon) and used their wavelet domain to improve the interpretation. Finally, we identified two main periodicity regimes that affected, on the one hand, the hydrological regime and, on the other hand, the lake productivity and catchment erosion dynamics. For RPG 1 (Ca, Sr, Ca/Ti, Sr/Ti), we identified 2 and 1 kyr periodicities, which we interpret as precipitation/evaporation related proxies in the context of North Atlantic and solar forcing. For RPG 2 (Fe, Ti, K, Si/Ti), we observe 3.5 and 1.5 kyr periodicities, which we interpret as driven by lake productivity or detrital input. Overall, our results show that Holocene environmental variability at Lake Sidi Ali was structured by two partly decoupled regimes: hydroclimatic variability linked to precipitation/evaporation changes and catchment-related variability linked to erosion, productivity and terrestrial sediment supply.

The Black Death pandemic (1346-53 AD) caused a 30-50% population decline across Europe. For the city of Erfurt in Thuringia, substantial human losses and corresponding mass graves are well-documented in historical archives. The aim of our study is to localize these mass graves in the nearby deserted village of Neuses in order to validate the written sources and to obtain skeletal remains for future anthropological and archeogenetic analyses. Here we present our integrative approach of historical research and minimally-invasive stratigraphic and geophysical prospection. Within the area of interest, narrowed down by historical accounts and GIS implementations, we applied percussion coring and electrical resistivity tomography (ERT). Coupled geophysical and coring sections help elucidate the late Quaternary sedimentary processes as an essential natural background for more detailed geoarcheological prospections. They allow to designate two distinct soil zones with consistent stratigraphical and pedogenic sequences: (1) a Chernozem zone and (2) a Black Floodplain Soil (humic fluvisol) zone. The distribution and extent of these zones co-determined the internal structure of the former village Neuses and the positioning of the presumed associated Black Death mass graves. Our approach enables a preliminary reconstruction of the medieval subsurface architecture, despite large-scale 20th century ground modification. We identified a belowground pit structure, visible in both, the borehole sequences and ERT sections. Recovered bones have been AMS radiocarbon-dated to the 14th century AD. Since confirmed and precisely-dated locations of Black Death mass graves are rare in Europe and are commonly found by chance during construction works, our systematic discovery of a possible plague pit may help to advance the research on the origin, spread and evolution of the Yersinia pestis pathogen throughout this pandemic as well as on societal coping mechanisms during epidemic outbreaks. Furthermore, our combination of methods holds the potential to successfully resolve the mapping of similarly demanding sites for archeological and forensic investigations.

An increasing number of dead zones characterised by toxically-low levels of dissolved oxygen has been reported in coastal oceans all over the globe. Efforts towards respective quantitative descriptions are ongoing but numerical simulations and predictions of hypoxia remain challenging. In this study, we present a suite of generic approaches towards more reliable simulations. Along a test-case we showcase the coalescence of a suite of ultra-high (~ 100m horizontal) resolution general ocean circulation model of Eckernförde Bight (Baltic Sea) with machine learning approaches. The ocean model includes an elementary representation of the biogeochemical dynamics of dissolved oxygen. In addition, we integrate artificial “clocks” that measure the residence time of the water in Eckernförde Bight and the timescales of (surface) ventilation. Our approach starts with an ensemble of hindcast model simulations (covering the period from 2000 to 2018) designed to envelop a range of poorly known model parameters for vertical background mixing (diffusivity) and local oxygen consumption within Eckernförde Bight. In a subsequent step, feed-forward artificial neural networks trained with output from the model ensemble are put to work to identify predictors of hypoxia deep in Eckernförde Bight based on data at a monitoring site at the entrance of the bight. Our approach disentangles the relative importance of subduction and vertical mixing versus local oxygen consumption and the inflow of low-oxygenated waters from the Kiel Bight.

The current state of floodplains - their morphology, sedimentation regimes and rates, biochemistry and ecosystem health - highlights the interconnectedness of human activities and natural ecosystems. Over the centuries, floodplains have been used for and transformed by many anthropogenic purposes including agriculture, industry and urban development. These activities have resulted in the accumulation of pollutants in highly vulnerable floodplains, yet we understand little about the historical evolution of Fluvial Anthropospheres. The Eger floodplain study site is located 2 km downstream of the mediaeval city walls of Nördlingen in southern Germany. In the Middle Ages, the city became an important and prosperous urban trade and craft centre due to its location at the crossroads of two major trade routes (Frankfurt-Würzburg-Augsburg and Nürnberg-Ulm). This data manuscript documents four alluvial soil-sediment profiles, NEP 1 to NEP 4, that were excavated and investigated in the floodplain section. The dataset includes grain-size data, element-specific X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) data, anthracological data, quantitative data of mollusc and microfossil assemblages from the sand-sized sediment fraction, pedological field parameters, biogeochemical soil properties and numerical data relating to radiocarbon and luminescence dating. These data provide the basis for reconstructing the Late Holocene biochemostratigraphy of the Eger River floodplain with respect to anthropogenic impacts and paleoenvironmental history.

Despite intense efforts, current generation comprehensive Earth system models have, to our knowledge, not been able to simulate the full extent of the atmospheric pCO2 drawdown (as recorded in ice cores) during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Yet, the intermediate complexity model CLIMBER-2 has successfully been used to simulate not only the LGM drawdown but also the transient evolution of CO2 concentrations during entire glacial–interglacial cycles. To better understand why this is the case, we compare the CLIMBER-2 results to pre-industrial and LGM simulations using two related models with increasing complexity, namely, the recently developed intermediate complexity model CLIMBER-X and the state-of-the-art comprehensive Earth system model MPI-ESM as used in the PalMod project, focusing on ocean carbon cycle changes.

Chernozems and Phaeozems in Central Germany have been subject to both natural alterations and human influences for millennia. This study systematically compares a buried Early Bronze Age Chernozem, preserved under the Bornhock burial mound, with a neighboring surface soil to analyze soil transformation and human impact over the past 3.8 ka. Our results indicate that, unlike in more humid Central European regions where former Chernozems/ Phaeozems have been entirely transformed into Luvisols, soils in the study area have undergone slower alterations due to the dry regional climate and high carbonate content of the parent material. Key pedogenic processes include gradual decalcification, black carbon decomposition, and weak clay illuviation. Before and during the Early Bronze Age human impact was minimal, limited mainly to shallow plowing (<20 cm) and phosphorus enrichment from human and/or animal excrements. Especially since the industrialisation human impact strongly increased, what is evident in higher values of magnetic susceptibility, the enrichment of heavy metals and sulfur likely due to fly ash deposition from lignite-burning power plants, and shifts in the isotopic composition of soil organic matter from agricultural practices. The most pronounced human impact since that time has been secondary recalcification due to fly ash input, which halted the natural transformation of Chernozems/Phaeozems into Luvisols and modified soil biota conditions. Given ongoing climate change and increasing regional temperatures, decalcification of these secondary carbonates should strongly decelerate or even stop.

Floodplains are dynamic and sensitive landscapes, shaped by natural hydromorphological processes and centuries of human intervention. Understanding floodplain lithostratigraphy is essential for reconstructing environmental change and supporting floodplain restoration and management. Here, we present a multi-method, high-resolution dataset from the Lower Havel River Inner Delta in Brandenburg (Northeast Germany), combining electromagnetic induction (EMI), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), and driving core drilling data to characterise near-subsurface sedimentary architecture and sediment composition across multiple spatial scales.EMI measurements (n ≈ 230,000) were conducted across two areas of 120,000 m² and 77,800 m² using a portable three-coil system (CMD-Mini Explorer, GF Instruments) with vertical dipole configuration and coil spacings of 32 cm, 71 cm, and 118 cm. These provided depth-resolved apparent electrical conductivity (ECa) values. Complementary ERT transects (total length: 928 m) were acquired using a multi-electrode DC resistivity system (Resecs, GeoServe) in wenner alpha and dipole-dipole configurations, generating high-resolution resistivity models. EMI and ERT were applied in combination to enable the extrapolation of transect-based geophysical data into spatially continuous models.To ground-truth the geophysical results, 21 sediment driving core drillings were extracted with a percussion corer (Cobra Pro, Atlas Copco), described in the field (including Munsell colour, grain size, redox features, carbonate and humus content), and analysed in the lab for content of total organic carbon (TOC), total inorganic carbon (TIC), total nitrogen (TN) and total sulfur (TS) and grain size using sieving and X-ray granulometry. The data provide insight into the vertical and lateral extent of peat, clayey and sandy alluvial units, and glaciofluvial basal sediments. All geophysical and lithological data are georeferenced and made available as raw and processed formats.This comprehensive dataset supports palaeochannel reconstruction, floodplain stratigraphic modelling, and landscape-scale sediment analysis. It is of high relevance to researchers in geomorphology, wetland ecology, soil science, and environmental reconstruction. Moreover, it provides a valuable baseline for long-term monitoring and restoration planning in Central European lowland river systems.

Black-colored humus-rich Chernozems and closely related Phaeozems are among the most fertile soils of the world, and were often used for agriculture over several millennia. The westernmost continuous Chernozem/Phaeozem region of Eurasia is located in the in the eastern lee of the Harz Mountains in Central Germany with precipitation < 550 mm/a. Unlike in other regions of Central Europe with anthropogenic Chernozems/Phaeozems, their formation can be related to natural factors such as high carbonate contents of their loose parent material and a dry subcontinental climate, suggested to foster appropriate living conditions for anecic earthworms. Their formation started prior to regional Neolithic settlement at latest during the early Holocene, and lasted until about 6-5 ka when the regional climate became more humid. Since that time, Chernozems/Phaeozems were subject to decalcification, clay translocation, silicate weathering and clay formation processes. The Central German Chernozem/Phaeozem region was used for agriculture for several millennia, with a strong intensification since the end of the 19th century. Furthermore, this region has also intensively been industrialized since that time, including widespread lignite burning in large power plants. However, only one study investigated a Late Neolithic buried Chernozem in comparison with the neighboring surficial soil using a limited amount of laboratory analytics, so that natural and anthropogenic changes of Central German Chernozems/Phaeozems during the last millennia were not systematically studied so far.To fill this gap, we systematically compared the properties of a Chernozem that was buried by the Early Bronze Age burial mound Bornhöck ca. 3.8 ka ago, and was consequently largely preserved from subsequent soil forming processes and human influence, with those of a neighboring Chernozem/Phaeozem that was continuously exposed to natural and human processes until today. The goal of our study was to systematically identify differences in the properties of the two soils, allowing an exemplary assessment of the property changes of Chernozems/Phaeozems due to soil alteration and human overprinting in an intensively agriculturally and industrially used region during the last 3.8 ka.

This study investigates the stratigraphy and carbon storage of the Verlorener Bach and Loosbach valley fills, of the Alpine Foothills in Bavaria, using a combination of electromagnetic induction (EMI), electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), direct push electrical conductivity sensing (DP-EC) and drilling cores. We identified three distinct stratigraphic units, with Unit I consisting of gravel deposits, Unit II comprising Holocene peat layers, and Unit III containing redeposited carbonates and overbank deposits.The integration of EMI data enhanced spatial resolution, while ERT data provided detailed insights into the thickness and distribution of these units. Correlating EMI-based apparent electrical conductivity values with stratigraphical data enabled the creation of a validated 3D model of sediment thickness. This approach revealed an inverted relief process where non-organic Unit III sediments remain elevated as surrounding organic-rich sediments shrink upon oxidation.Additionally, geochemical analyses estimated the Total Carbon (TC) and Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content for Unit II, totaling 43 kt of TC and 35 kt of TOC across the entire 15-hectare study area. The high carbon storage in peatlands is attributed to the thickness of peat layers and sustained water saturation, preventing degradation. However, potential reductions in groundwater levels could lead to peat decomposition and carbon release.This study demonstrates the effectiveness of integrating EMI, DP-EC and ERT data for stratigraphic analysis, providing a comprehensive understanding of spatial sediment stratigraphies and carbon storage in the study area. Our study demonstrates that it is possible to use geophysical prospecting methods not only to characterise surface sediments but also those located deeper in the ground. This allows for the analysis of both intact fen peats in terms of their carbon storage, as well as those that are no longer intact but buried.

Quaternary sediment successions provide valuable insights into Earth's recent geological history, contributing to our understanding of environmental change and climate dynamics. Detailed and reliable stratigraphies of Quaternary sediment outcrops or drill cores, however, often require time-consuming and expensive laboratory analyses. Diffuse reflectance spectroscopy in the visible -to -near -infrared (VNIR) and mid -infrared (MIR) ranges offers a fast and cost-effective alternative to obtain quantitative data on the mineral and organic composition of sediments. We therefore examined the potential of using portable VNIR and MIR spectroscopy on intact drill cores to assist in stratigraphic analysis, in particular how recently introduced handheld MIR instruments can improve the accuracy of spectroscopic modelling. Diffuse reflectance spectra were collected on two drill cores from Central European Holocene overbank deposits, which were subject to a comprehensive stratigraphic description and detailed conventional sedimentological and geochemical analyses. PLSR and PLS-DA were employed to evaluate the potential of spectroscopic models to estimate physicochemical sediment properties and to classify sediment layers and (paleo)soils, respectively. Geochemical sediment properties could be estimated with good accuracy (R2 = 0.74-0.96) reproducing major trends and features in the analysed cores. Classification results with coupled VNIR-MIR data were also promising (OA = 88.4 %), giving better accuracy than classification with conventional geochemical data (OA = 83.7 %), although the detection of weakly -developed paleosols proved challenging. Our results demonstrate that coupled VNIR-MIR spectroscopy with portable instruments can provide highquality data on the geochemical composition of sediments and that handheld MIR spectroscopy can mark a major step forward in the analysis of Quaternary sediment profiles. As VNIR-MIR data collection is feasible directly on drill cores without a time-consuming pre-processing of samples, we suggest that portable VNIR-MIR spectroscopy can effectively complement conventional methods of sediment analysis and contribute to the establishment of reliable stratigraphies through the generation of large amounts of inexpensive quantitative sediment data.

Up to several meters thick fine-grained Holocene overbank deposits are ubiquitously found in most Western and Central European lowland floodplains. However, the interplay of different possible causes for their formation are not well understood yet. Most authors suggest human-induced deforestation as the main precondition for sediment mobilisation and transport from the slopes to the floodplain, generally regarding overbank sediments as human-derived ‘legacy sediments’. In contrast, others suggest a stronger influence of climatic factors. This current research gap is caused by often missing well-resolved fluvial chronostratigraphies and spatio-temporal information about former human activity within the studied catchments. To fill this gap we exemplarily studied Holocene overbank sedimentation and possible human or natural drivers in the meso-scale Weiße Elster catchment in Central Germany by using a comprehensive geoarchaeological approach: On the one hand, we applied numerical dating as well as sedimentological and micromorphological analyses to Holocene overbank sediments along three floodplain transects. On the other hand, we built up an unprecedented systematic spatio-temporal database of former human activity within the catchment from the Neolithic until the Early Modern Ages. Together with published paleoclimatic data, this database allowed an unprecedented, systematic comparison of Holocene overbank sedimentation phases with possible human and natural external controls. Our data show that some overbank sedimentation phases were directly linked with human activities in the affected site sub-catchments, whereas others were not. Instead, all phases were clearly linked with natural factors, i.e. hydroclimatic fluctuations. This difference with most former studies could possibly be explained by previously often limited numerical dating of the fluvial sediments and by largely missing spatio-temporally well-resolved regional settlement records, hindering a precise temporal link of fluvial sedimentation with former human settlement. Furthermore, this difference could possibly also be explained by a relatively high natural sensitivity of the landscape dynamics in the Central German lowlands, showing a subcontinental climate, towards external controls.

Driven by climate change, marine biodiversity is undergoing a phase of rapid change that has proven to be even faster than changes observed in terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding how these changes in species composition will affect future marine life is crucial for conservation management, especially due to increasing demands for marine natural resources. Here, we analyse predictions of a multiparameter habitat suitability model covering the global projected ranges of >33,500 marine species from climate model projections under three CO2 emission scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5) up to the year 2100. Our results show that the core habitat area will decline for many species, resulting in a net loss of 50% of the core habitat area for almost half of all marine species in 2100 under the high-emission scenario RCP8.5. As an additional consequence of the continuing distributional reorganization of marine life, gaps around the equator will appear for 8% (RCP2.6), 24% (RCP4.5), and 88% (RCP8.5) of marine species with cross-equatorial ranges. For many more species, continuous distributional ranges will be disrupted, thus reducing effective population size. In addition, high invasion rates in higher latitudes and polar regions will lead to substantial changes in the ecosystem and food web structure, particularly regarding the introduction of new predators. Overall, our study highlights that the degree of spatial and structural reorganization of marine life with ensued consequences for ecosystem functionality and conservation efforts will critically depend on the realized greenhouse gas emission pathway.

The world’s largest oxygen minimum zone (OMZ) resides in the eastern tropical Pacific where poorly ventilated “shadow zone”, created by stagnant tropical cyclonic gyre is complemented by intensive biological consumption of dissolved oxygen, thereby promoting oxygen deficiency in this region. The present-day continental configuration with the presence of the Isthmus of Panama prevents water mass exchange between the tropical Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, shaping the climate and marine biogeochemistry features in the eastern tropical Pacific. The tectonic closure of the American Seaway during the mid-Miocene to mid-Pliocene epoch (~16-3 Ma BP) is thought to be a key factor for the development of stagnating conditions in the eastern equatorial Pacific leading to emergence of tropical Pacific OMZs . This study aims at investigating the impact of the CAS opening on the large-scale ocean circulation and oxygen minimum zone in the tropical Pacific. To this end, we performed a series of sensitivity experiments with the global climate model KCM where a sill of the open CAS was set at different depths, ranging from shallow to deep levels. Our results confirm previous studies that Panamanian gateway closure during the Pliocene may have led to an intensification of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) due to a termination of fresh-water supply from the tropical Pacific to the North Atlantic. It was found that the CAS opening drives eastward subsurface flow in the northern tropical Pacific. This, in turn, facilitates stronger west-to-east oxygen supply and subsequent overall oxygen enrichment in the subsurface Pacific waters with strongest anomalies observed in the eastern tropical Pacific. In addition, the marine net primary production is slightly weakened in this region due to an export of nutrients to the Caribbean Sea through the open Panamanian gateway. This, in turn, leads to a weaker export of particulate organic carbon towards the ocean interior, and, therefore, to lower biological consumption of oxygen in this region.

Abstract The tectonic closure of the Central American Seaway (CAS) during the mid‐Miocene to mid‐Pliocene (∼16–3 Ma BP) is thought of as a key interval for the onset of the present‐day tropical Pacific oxygen minimum zone (OMZ). In this study we investigate the impact of an open CAS on the ocean circulation and the OMZ in the tropical Pacific. We perform a series of sensitivity experiments with the Kiel Climate Model, where we vary the CAS sill depth from shallow to deep. We find that the eastern tropical Pacific OMZ was less developed during the period of an open CAS. This is driven mainly by an enhanced eastward subsurface current that facilitated an increased oxygen supply from the western tropical Pacific. In addition, a small decrease in net marine primary production and subsequent weaker export of particulate organic carbon induced less subsurface oxygen consumption in the Eastern Equatorial Pacific.

Abstract. Valley infills are essential for understanding changes in hydrology and landscape. Anthropogenic activities are proven by prehistoric settlement remains, which mark distinct sediments and soils as usable land during certain time periods. In 2009 and 2018/19, excavations by the Saxonian Archaeological Heritage Office were conducted in the Elbe valley between Meißen and Dresden, preceding the construction of two natural gas pipelines. As a result, two important multicultural prehistoric sites were discovered on the Lower Weichselian Terrace (LWT) in different sediments and on varying stratigraphic levels. During this study sediments and soils at the excavation sites and throughout the pipe trench have been documented. Micromorphological, sedimentological and geochemical investigations and analyses of archaeobotanical and archaeological finds, complemented by 14C and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating, enabled deciphering the structure of sediments and soils. Two major sites were the focus. At the Clieben site, an early Neolithic settlement and former topsoil, developed in a Weichselian valley loam above gravels and sands, are covered by younger overbank fines. At the Brockwitz site, shallow incision channels in the LWT were filled with clayey overbank fines during the Preboreal. An overprinting humic soil horizon was later anthropogenically overprinted during the early and middle Neolithic period. An omnipresent layer of Subboreal or younger overbank fines, covering the majority of the LWT in combination with the spatially confined Preboreal overbank fines, mirrors the ever-growing risk of flooding in a formerly attractive settlement area.