This Supplementary Issue of Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie concentrates on laser scanning in geomorphology. Its contributions are drawn from the European Geosciences Union session GM1.2 Airborne and terrestrial laser scanning and geomorphology: possibilities, problems, and solutions and the technical session FS 62 Possibilities and limits of laser scanning in geomorphology at the Deutscher Geographentag, both held in Vienna in 2009.

Laser scanning is a relatively young technology and the first operational airborne campaigns were conducted around 1995. This field is characterized by ongoing technological development, exploration and consolidation of methods, as well as understanding the benefits and limitations of laser scanning for geomorphology. The latest developments, e.g., the exploitation of the full-waveform measurements, remain to be evaluated, while the full potential of high-resolution and high-accuracy topographic data has not yet been fully utilized for applications in geomorphology.

The papers in this issue demonstrate that there is a huge potential for using laser scanning in geomorphology, and also that it can become a standard tool. Current restrictions include instrument weight and range envelope for terrestrial scanning, costs in the case of airborne laser scanning and last but not least suitable software for processing and presenting laser scanning data in order to exploit the point cloud content fully. Nevertheless, laser scanning, be it terrestrial or airborne, paves the way (i) for new area-wide recognition and mapping of land forms even in environments of low accessibility and, what is of even higher merit in future-oriented research, (ii) for the quantification of geomorphological process dynamics. Although results can now be achieved in a quality never before experienced, laser scanning cannot make field work redundant. However, it provides a new absolute basis for field investigations. Thus, the application of laser scanning opens a new era in geomorphological research.

This Supplementary Issue of Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie concentrates on laser scanning in geomorphology. Its contributions are drawn from the European Geosciences Union session GM1.2 Airborne and terrestrial laser scanning and geomorphology: possibilities, problems, and solutions and the technical session FS 62 Possibilities and limits of laser scanning in geomorphology at the Deutscher Geographentag, both held in Vienna in 2009. Laser scanning is a relatively young technology and the first operational airborne campaigns were conducted around 1995. This field is characterized by ongoing technological development, exploration and consolidation of methods, as well as understanding the benefits and limitations of laser scanning for geomorphology. The latest developments, e.g., the exploitation of the full-waveform measurements, remain to be evaluated, while the full potential of high-resolution and highaccuracy topographic data has not yet been fully utilized for applications in geomorphology. The papers in this issue demonstrate that there is a huge potential for using laser scanning in geomorphology, and also that it can become a standard tool.

mining + geo 06/2012

This Supplement Volume of Zeitschrift für Geomorphologie reviews a broad variety of anthropogeomorphological problems in four European countries, greatly affected by human activities. In their opening paper, Czigány, Pirkhoffer, Nagyváradi, Hegedűs and Geresdi) summarize the first results of a project to identify areas with particularly high flash flood hazard. Their proposed flash-flood guidance (FFG) system is intended to promote vulnerability mapping and early warning.
Several papers deal with the various effects of mining and the restoration of derelict lands. Dickmann outlines the land reclamation perspectives for the vast opencast lignite mines in the environs of Cologne, Germany. His contribution reviews the extent of human impact as well as past and future land use conflicts in the mining region. Another area of large-scale mining activities, Upper Silesia in Poland, is covered by Dulias. He highlights efforts to estimate and map subsidence caused by the extraction of huge amounts of hard coal and waste rock.
Horváth and Karancsi describe the transformation of a formerly forested North-Hungarian landscape into a heavy industry district and the resulting environmental impacts.
Valley sediments, particularly suitable indicators of human impact, are used by Kasielke and Zepp to reconstruct the early history of coal mining in the southern Ruhr District by dating floodplain deposits along a stream. Farming causes considerable changes in the landscape – even in lowlands. Lóczy and Gyenizse analyze how unidirectional tillage obliterates traces of microtopographic features (mainly scroll bars) on a Danubian floodplain. Accelerated soil erosion is a serious problem in most European countries. No detailed information on this from the Republic of Macedonia was available, therefore Milevski evaluates causes and effects of erosional processes and the landforms created by them in a catchment of Eastern Macedonia.
Along with their benefits, large-scale flood control measures may also involve negative influences on the environment. Rakonczai and Kozák cite some examples for the adverse impacts of river regulation schemes in Hungary in the second half of the 19th century. Relying on efforts directed at quantifying human impact on the landscape, which date back to D. Nir’s book, Man as a Geomorphological Agent (1983), P. Rózsa and T. Novák specify the constants describing the influences of climate and relief on the ”index of potential anthropic geomorphology”. In the closing contribution W. Zgłobicki and B. Baran-Zgłobicka establish a close relationship between cultural landscape evolution and gully development in the loess-mantled Lublin Uplands. The conditions under which farming contributes to intensive gully erosion are discussed.

The publication “Human Impact on the Landscape (HILS)”, edited by S. Harnischmacher (Marburg) and D. Lóczy (Pécs) presents 10 papers with a broad spectrum of anthropo-geomorphological problems in four European countries, where the natural environment were/is heavily affected by human impact. The papers represent contributions to a joint meeting of two working groups of the International Association of Geomorphologists (IAG/AIG), hosted by the Ruhr University of Bochum, September 2008.

Without exception, these papers present examples of applied geomorphological research, with focus on

• relief changes in mining districts,
• fluvial systems and
• soil erosion and their interactions.

Several papers refer to various impacts of mining and the restoration of derelict lands.

• F. Dickmann outlines the changing objectives and dimensions of land reclamation in the Rhenish lignite region (Germany) during the last 60 years, from simple reforestation to more complex approaches, which integrate ecological, socio-economic and human aspects.
• The paper by R. Dulias highlights relief changes with the help of denudation rates calculated on the basis of coal output and morphometric analyses, caused by coal mining subsidence without the Rybnik Plateau (south western part of the Upper Silesian Coal Basin, Poland). The author also compares the denudation rates of the Polish study area with the values from the Ruhr District (Germany), analyzed by St. Harnischmacher (2007).
• G. Horvath and Z. Karancsí describe the transformation of the Medves Region (North Hungary), a formerly forested landscape, into a heavy industry district and the resulting environmental impacts. The authors differentiate according to different land use effects (agrogenic, montanogenic, urbanogenic, industrogenic, hydrotechnogenic, transportogenic) and corresponding hemeroby levels. The paper is well illustrated with maps, tables and photographs. Four contributions deal with anthropogenic changes within fluvial systems.
• T. Kasielke and H. Zepp analyze sediments of the Kalwesbach valley (a small valley in Bochum, Germany) to reconstruct the early history of coal mining and soil erosion using field and laboratory methods including 14C analyses.
• D. Lóczy and G. Gyenizse investigate interactions between unidirectional tillage and scroll bars for selection and prediction of the obliteration of river deposition features from the surface over time at a study site within the Danubian flood plain in southern Hungary.
• Sz. Czigány et al. show results of a project focusing on the identification of areas (Hungary) with particularly high-flash flood hazards. They proposed a flash-flood guidance system, to promote vulnerability mapping and early warming. This focus corresponds with the main aims of the European-Flood Water Frame directive (EUHWRRL).
• J. Rakouczai and P. Kozák prove that past river regulation schemes in Hungary, which were carried out for flood protection, have numerous hydrological (length and channel slope of rivers, breaking flood stages, changing duration and fluctuation of floods) and land use consequences.

The main focus of two contributions is soil erosion.

• Milevski evaluates the causes and effects of accelerated soil erosion in the upper watershed of Bregalnica (Republic of Macedonia) using GIS for soil erosion mapping.
• W. Zglobicki and B. Baran-Zglobicka demonstrate a close relationship between cultural landscape evolution and gully development in the loess covered Lublin Upland (eastern Poland).

One contribution belongs to basic geomorphological research: “Mapping anthropic geomorphological sensitivity on a global scale”.

• R. Rózsa and T. Novák have extended the index of potential anthropic geomorphology by NIR (1983) under consideration of climate and relief influences for a global scale. Results are among others a global anthropic geomorphological density map.

The present publication can be recommended for all who are interested in studying human impact on the landscape and anthropo-geomorphological research.

Christian Opp

Erdkunde Heft 66/2 2012 (S. 177-178)