Palynology in Historical Rural-Landscape Studies: Great Meadows, Pennsylvania

1994 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gerald K. Kelso
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Landscape Studies ◽  
Pollen Transport ◽  
Sediment Profiles ◽  
Cereal Pollen

Pollen deposited on the ground surface is carried down into the soil by percolating groundwater. Such postdepositional pollen transport preserves the record of historical vegetation and land use in slowly or nonaggrading sediment profiles by separating the pollen spectra of successive ground covers. This is demonstrated at Great Meadows, Pennsylvania, where pollen spectra in hillside cores indicating a preagricultural-era forest are succeeded during the clearance and agricultural period by weed and cereal pollen during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. These are, in turn, replaced by grass during the park period of the last 65 years. The preagricultural pollen spectra indicate that differences in historical ground cover across relatively short horizontal distances and elevations can be reconstructed with pollen analysis.

scholarly journals The history of settlement and agrarian land use in a boreal forest in Värmland, Sweden, new evidence from pollen analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigrún Dögg Eddudóttir ◽  
Eva Svensson ◽  
Stefan Nilsson ◽  
Anneli Ekblom ◽  
Karl-Johan Lindholm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Pollen Analysis ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Pollen Grains ◽  
Ice Age ◽  
Valuable Insight ◽  
Archaeological Survey ◽  
History Of ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractShielings are the historically known form of transhumance in Scandinavia, where livestock were moved from the farmstead to sites in the outlands for summer grazing. Pollen analysis has provided a valuable insight into the history of shielings. This paper presents a vegetation reconstruction and archaeological survey from the shieling Kårebolssätern in northern Värmland, western Sweden, a renovated shieling that is still operating today. The first evidence of human activities in the area near Kårebolssätern are Hordeum- and Cannabis-type pollen grains occurring from ca. 100 bc. Further signs of human impact are charcoal and sporadic occurrences of apophyte pollen from ca. ad 250 and pollen indicating opening of the canopy ca. ad 570, probably a result of modification of the forest for grazing. A decrease in land use is seen between ad 1000 and 1250, possibly in response to a shift in emphasis towards large scale commodity production in the outlands. Emphasis on bloomery iron production and pitfall hunting may have caused a shift from agrarian shieling activity. The clearest changes in the pollen assemblage indicating grazing and cultivation occur from the mid-thirteenth century, coinciding with wetter climate at the beginning of the Little Ice Age. The earliest occurrences of anthropochores in the record predate those of other shieling sites in Sweden. The pollen analysis reveals evidence of land use that predates the results of the archaeological survey. The study highlights how pollen analysis can reveal vegetation changes where early archaeological remains are obscure.

scholarly journals Automated Classification of Agricultural Lands Using GIS and NES

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (4.38) ◽  
pp. 1146
Author(s):  
V. K. Kalichkin ◽  
A. I. Pavlova ◽  
A. F. Petrov ◽  
V. A. Smolyakov
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Information System ◽  
Geographic Information System ◽  
Interpolation Method ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Geographic Information ◽  
Automated Classification ◽  
Stream Power ◽  
Stream Power Index

The article proposes the methodology for the automated classification of uplands using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Neural Expert System (NES). Quantitative indicators of topography are used as the basis of the proposed classification. A database consisting of topographic, soil, and land use maps was created using ArcGIS 10 geographic information system. A topologically correct digital elevation model (DEM) was created by the ANUDEM interpolation method. The DEM contains the following maps: hypsometric, steepness and slopes exposure, plan, profile, common curvature of the ground surface, and cumulative runoff maps. The boundaries of elementary surfaces (ES), which are homogeneous morphological formations, are established. Parameters characterizing the Stream Power Index (SPI) are taken into account. The essence of the proposed classification consists in attributing of ES to a certain group of lands based on aggregate of features. To do this, partial scales were created, containing indicators of topography, soil cover, land drainage conditions, as well as the degree of erosion development. The authors formed knowledge base for traning the NES using GIS database and partial scales of estimates. Teaching of neural network was carried out. The classification and topology of land was carried out by means of the NES. The uplands are distributed in flat and slightly convex areas. They are characterized by the following indicators: the curvature of the ground surface: plan curvature (0 – 0.03), profile curvature (0 – 0.15), common curvature (0 – 0.22); slope angles (less than 1.5о); horizontal dissection in elevation (less than 0.5 km/km2), vertical dissection (less than 5 m); and SPI (from -13.80 to -6.47). Electronic map of uplands of LLC «Salair» land-use area was created in the ArcGIS 10 environment.  

scholarly journals Forest floor temperature and greenness link significantly to canopy attributes in South Africa’s fragmented coastal forests

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion Pfeifer ◽  
Michael JW Boyle ◽  
Stuart Dunning ◽  
Pieter Olivier
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Surface Temperature ◽  
Habitat Quality ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Quality Metrics ◽  
Ground Vegetation ◽  
Ground Surface Temperature ◽  
Forest Models ◽  
Random Forest Models

Tropical landscapes are changing rapidly due to changes in land use and land management. Being able to predict and monitor land use change impacts on species for conservation or food security concerns requires the use of habitat quality metrics, that are consistent, can be mapped using above - ground sensor data and are relevant for species performance. Here, we focus on ground surface temperature (Thermalground) and ground vegetation greenness (NDVIdown) as potentially suitable metrics of habitat quality. We measure both across habitats differing in tree cover (natural grassland to forest edges to forests and tree plantations) in the human-modified coastal forested landscapes of Kwa-Zulua Natal, South Africa. We show that both habitat quality metrics decline linearly as a function of increasing canopy closure (FCover, %) and canopy leaf area index (LAI). Opening canopies by about 20% or reducing canopy leaf area by 1% would result in an increase of temperatures on the ground by more than 1°C, and an increase in ground vegetation greenness by 0.2 and 0.14 respectively. Upscaling LAI and FCover to develop maps from Landsat imagery using random forest models allowed us to map Thermalground and NDVIdown using the linear relationships. However, map accuracy was constrained by the predictive capacity of the random forest models predicting canopy attributes and the linear models linking canopy attributes to the habitat quality metrics. Accounting for micro-scale variation in temperature is seen as essential to improve biodiversity impact predictions. Our upscaling approach suggests that mapping ground surface temperature based on radiation and vegetation properties might be possible, and that canopy cover maps could provide a useful tool for mapping habitat quality metrics that matter to species. However, we need to increase sampling of surface temperature spatially and temporally to improve and validate upscaled models. We also need to link surface temperature maps to demographic traits of species of different threat status or functions in landscapes with different disturbance and management histories testing for generalities in relationships. The derived understanding could then be exploited for targeted landscape restoration that benefits biodiversity conservation and food security sustainably at the landscape scale.

scholarly journals Composted Cotton Stalks and Cotton Gin Trash Substrate Amendments and Irrigation/Ground Cover Management II. Effect on Growth and Disease Suppression for Azalea and Juniper

2014 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 141-148
Author(s):  
E.D. Riley ◽  
H.T. Kraus ◽  
T.E. Bilderback ◽  
D.M. Benson
Keyword(s):  
Shoot Growth ◽  
Ground Surface ◽  
Sprinkler Irrigation ◽  
Ground Cover ◽  
P Uptake ◽  
Disease Suppression ◽  
Substrate Composition ◽  
N Source ◽  
Cotton Stalks ◽  
Cotton Gin

‘Sunglow’ azalea and ‘Blue Pacific’ juniper were grown in pine bark (PB) and pine tree (PT) substrates that were amended with cotton stalks composted with a N source (CSN), cotton stalks composted without an N source (CS), and cotton gin trash (CGT) to evaluate the substrate's effect on plant growth and disease suppression. The plants were grown under two different, commonly used, irrigation/ground surface management regimes — overhead, sprinkler irrigation with black geotextile weed fabric covering the ground (OH) or low-volume, spray stake irrigation with gravel covering the ground (LV). In 2010, with OH, all PB-amended substrates produced significantly larger azalea shoots than PT-amended substrates. In 2011, with OH, all azalea shoots were similar in size when grown in all substrates except for PT:CS, where plants were significantly smaller. With LV, in 2010 and 2011, azalea shoot growth was largest when grown in a PB substrate amended with CSN or CGT and lowest in PT:CS. Junipers with OH produced generally larger shoot growth with the PB-based substrates in both 2010 and 2011 compared to the PT-based substrates. With LV, PT:CGT produced the numerically smallest juniper shoot growth for both years. Overall, PT-based substrates appeared to produce greater consistency in growth, because responses were more similar in 2010 and 2011, however irrigation method and management can impact growth regardless of substrate composition. CGT added to PB- or PT-based substrates enhanced Ca and Mg uptake by both species but not P uptake. OH generally kept ground surface and substrate temperatures lower than LV regardless of substrate composition. The substrates tested neither enhanced nor deterred P. cinnamomi infection in azalea or juniper.

Rural sites in Roman Greece

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. 117-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Field Survey ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Greek Life ◽  
Landscape Studies ◽  
The Past ◽  
Roman Greece ◽  
Urban Core ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Rural Sites ◽  
Textual Research

[W]hile pretending to throw some light upon classical authors by careful observation of the manners of the present day, romantic travellers succeeded in fact in accommodating reality to their dreams … by creating for themselves and for their readers carefully edited portraits of modern Greece that transformed the present into the living image of the past (Saïd 2005: 291).Thirty years ago archaeological field survey promised to reshape radically our understanding of the countryside (Keller and Rupp 1983: 1–5). Traditional archaeological approaches to cities and monuments were increasingly seen to be extensions of textual research, and research on the rural landscape was envisaged as a way to access the other side of the traditional urban-rural dichotomy (though see the comments in Alcock 2007: 671–72). Some scholars estimated that, in the Classical period, the vast majority of Greek poleis had populations of less than 3,000 and territories no more than a few hours” walk from the urban core. Given that, they asked, does it make sense to divide elements of Greek life into “city” and “country”? In a sense, the study of landscapes was seen as a way to redress perceived imbalances between this urban-rural division and the picture painted by the ancient sources of Roman Greece as a pale reflection of its Classical brilliance. In the years since, landscape studies have grown to include much more than archaeological field survey, but this tension between textual and archaeological narratives remains at the heart of understandings of rural Roman Greece.

scholarly journals The (Evolving) Vineyard’s Age Structure in the Valencian Community, Spain: A New Demographic Approach for Rural Development and Landscape Analysis

Agriculture ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilaria Zambon ◽  
Artemi Cerdà ◽  
Sirio Cividino ◽  
Luca Salvati
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Basic Knowledge ◽  
Environmental Aspects ◽  
Local Economies ◽  
Eastern Area ◽  
Rural Landscapes ◽  
Landscape Studies ◽  
Landscape Degradation

Vineyards have assumed a key role as rural landmarks in recent decades. Investigating vineyard dynamics and contexts may reveal various economic, cultural, and environmental aspects of rural landscapes, which can be linked to land-use changes and major soil degradation processes, including soil erosion. As a contribution to rural landscape studies, the purpose of this work is to investigate the spatial distribution of vineyard plots in the Valencian community, located in the eastern area of the Iberian Peninsula, focusing on the final product, the type of vineyard and how long each vineyard has been settled over time. The work provides a comprehensive analysis of a wine-growing landscape, considering strategic (spatial) assets in present and past times. Vineyards were interpreted as a distinctive landmarks that give value to local economies; basic knowledge of how long different types of wine plots have been present in the Valencian community is useful when estimating their degree of sustainability and formulating suggestions, policies, and strategies to prevent processes of landscape degradation at various spatial scales.

scholarly journals Industrial Sprawl and Residential Housing: Exploring the Interplay between Local Development and Land-Use Change in the Valencian Community, Spain

Land ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zambon ◽  
Cerdà ◽  
Gambella ◽  
Egidi ◽  
Salvati
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Urban Sprawl ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Southern Europe ◽  
Urban Hierarchy ◽  
Industrial Expansion

Urbanization in Mediterranean Europe has occurred in recent decades with expansion of residential, commercial and industrial settlements into rural landscapes outside the traditional metropolitan boundaries. Industrial expansion in peri-urban contexts was particularly intense in Southern Europe. Based on these premises, this work investigates residential and industrial settlement dynamics in the Valencian Community, Spain, between 2005 and 2015, with the aim to clarify the role of industrial expansion in total urban growth in a paradigmatic Mediterranean region. Since the early 1990s, the Valencian industrial sector developed in correspondence with already established industrial nodes, altering the surrounding rural landscape. Six variables (urban hierarchy, discontinuous settlements, pristine land under urban expansion, isolated industrial settlements, within- and out-of-plan industrial areas) were considered with the aim at exploring land-use change. Empirical results indicate a role of industrial development in pushing urban sprawl in coastal Valencia. A reflection on the distinctive evolution of residential and industrial settlements is essential for designing new planning measures for sustainable land management and containment of urban sprawl in Southern Europe. A comparative analysis of different alternatives of urban development based on quantitative assessment of land-use change provides guidelines for local development and ecological sustainability.

scholarly journals Vernacular Farm Buildings and Rural Landscape: A Geospatial Approach for Their Integrated Management

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Cillis ◽  
Dina Statuto ◽  
Pietro Picuno
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Environmental Planning ◽  
Integrated Management ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Rural Landscape ◽  
Landscape Studies ◽  
Basilicata Region ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
Farm Buildings

Over the centuries, farm buildings, which accompany the development of agriculture, have played an important role in defining spatial and environmental planning. In some European countries in particular, these rural structures have been built based on traditional agricultural needs and typical land characteristics. Considering the land abandonment that has occurred over the last five decades, with farmers moving to more comfortable residences in neighboring urban settlements, historical farm buildings have often been abandoned, thus causing a leakage of the historical-cultural heritage of the rural landscape. Nowadays, open data and geographic technologies together with advanced technological tools allow us to gather multidisciplinary information about the specific characteristics of each farm building, thus improving our knowledge. This information can greatly support the protection of those buildings and landscapes that have high cultural and naturalistic value. In this paper, the potential of Geographic Information Systems to catalogue the farm buildings of the Basilicata region (Southern Italy) is explored. The analysis of these buildings, traditionally known as masserie, integrates some typical aspects of landscape studies, paving the way for sustainable management of the important cultural heritage represented by vernacular farm buildings and the rural landscape.

scholarly journals Exploring subtle land use and land cover changes: a framework for future landscape studies

2009 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Houet ◽  
Thomas R. Loveland ◽  
Laurence Hubert-Moy ◽  
Cédric Gaucherel ◽  
Darrell Napton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Land Cover Changes ◽  
Landscape Studies ◽  
Future Landscape
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