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The Dutch Aamsveen lies in a glacial basin in the Dutch-German border area. It consists of remnants of a cross-border raised bog and a lagg with degrading species-rich basiphilous plant communities. Farther west, the Glanerbeek drains the footslope at the edge of the basin and adjacent lagg. For the Netherlands, this is a rare wetland ecosystem and an important Natura 2000 area, but it is threatened by ongoing degradation. A spatiotemporal landscape ecological system analysis (LESA), including extensive palaeoecological research, showed the fundamental role of the interplay between infiltrating acid bog water that gradually acquires basic cations from the underlying base rich sediments as it flows laterally towards the lagg, where it seeps up, and the (lesser) influx of base rich surficial groundwater from the ice-pushed ridge in the west. Anthropogenic disturbance of this interplay has led to serious system degradation. The results of this LESA served to develop an integrated management plan at landscape level, instead of habitat level plans as is usual in the context of Natura 2000. This study illustrates the relevance of a spatiotemporal LESA for the recovery and sustainable management of such complex, dynamic systems.

A synthesis of the current knowledge of the so-called Italian giacimenti a olle d’impasto rossiccio (reddish jar potsherd deposits) is presented. These sites are common along the Tyrrhenian side of Central Italy and are usually interpreted as salt-production sites, because of parallels with similar European specialised sites. In the latter, salt was obtained by boiling a brine in special disposable pottery, a technique known as briquetage. However, the analogies are not straightforward and alternative hypotheses, e.g. fish-processing, and a more complex intertwined economy have also been put forward. To solve the interpretation issues, we advocate to use a multidisciplinary approach involving quantification of the ceramics encountered, establishment of their morphological and functional typologies, and physico/chemical analyses to identify their use.

A seguito della sintesi pubblicata sulle indagini archeologiche nel territorio di Sezze, condotte dall'Università di Groningen sotto l'egida del Progetto della Regione Pontina (PRP), questo documento discute la metodologia e i primi risultati di due progetti di ricerca sul campo più recenti nel quadro del PRP, entrambi finanziati dall'Organizzazione olandese per la ricerca scientifica (NWO): 1) l'Avellino Event Project (AVP) delle Università di Groningen e Leiden che studia gli effetti distali della grande eruzione del Vesuvio risalente all'età del bronzo sull'ambiente umano della pianura di Fondi e della pianura Pontina. 2) il progetto dei Centri Minori che studia lo sviluppo degli insediamenti di Forum Appi e Ad Medias lungo la Via Appia in relazione allo sviluppo della campagna romana. Entrambi i progetti contribuiscono in modo significativo alla ricostruzione a lungo termine del paesaggio umano nella pianura di Sezze e aprono prospettive su ulteriori lavori interdisciplinari., IpoTESI di Preistoria, V. 11, N. 1 (2019)

In de klimaatdebatten van het afgelopen voorjaar kwam de Klimaattafel Landbouw en Landgebruik met een vrij spectaculaire oplossing voor het probleem van zakkende veenweidegebieden. Door een slimmere manier van draineren zouden de CO2-emissies minstens gehalveerd worden en zouden de boeren gewoon door kunnen gaan met de veehouderij. Te mooi om waar te zijn?

A seguito della sintesi pubblicata sulle indagini archeologiche nel territorio di Sezze, condotte dall'Università di Groningen sotto l'egida del Progetto della Regione Pontina (PRP), questo documento discute la metodologia e i primi risultati di due progetti di ricerca sul campo più recenti nel quadro del PRP, entrambi finanziati dall'Organizzazione olandese per la ricerca scientifica (NWO): 1) l'Avellino Event Project (AVP) delle Università di Groningen e Leiden che studia gli effetti distali della grande eruzione del Vesuvio risalente all'età del bronzo sull'ambiente umano della pianura di Fondi e della pianura Pontina. 2) il progetto dei Centri Minori che studia lo sviluppo degli insediamenti di Forum Appi e Ad Medias lungo la Via Appia in relazione allo sviluppo della campagna romana. Entrambi i progetti contribuiscono in modo significativo alla ricostruzione a lungo termine del paesaggio umano nella pianura di Sezze e aprono prospettive su ulteriori lavori interdisciplinari. -- Following a synthesis of published archaeological investigations in the territory of Sezze by the team of the University of Groningen within the Pontine Region Project (PRP), this paper discusses the methodology and first results of two more recent fieldwork projects within the framework of the PRP, both funded by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO): 1) the Avellino Event Project (AVP) of the universities of Groningen and Leiden that studies the distal effects of the great Bronze Age eruption of mount Vesuvius on the humanenvironment of the Fondi and Pontine plains. 2) the Minor Centres project that studies the development of the settlements of Forum Appi and Ad Medias along the Via Appia in relation with the development of the Roman countryside. Both projects add significantly to the long term reconstruction of the human landscape in the plain south of Sezze as well as open up perspectives on further interdisciplinary work.

Sinds het midden van de vorige eeuw heeft de Nederlandsenatuur te lijden gehad van overmatige zuur- en stikstofdepositie. Maatregelen om de effecten hiervan te bestrijden, leidden niet altijd tot het gewenste resultaat en hadden soms dermate sterke neveneffecten dat ze eerder ongewenst waren. Sinds kort is steenmeel in beeld als middel dat mogelijk wel de positieve effecten maar niet de neveneffecten heeft. Kennis over de effecten vansteenmeel op gedegradeerde natuur en bos is echter nog lang geen gemeengoed. Op 18 februari 2019 organiseerden de VBNE en het OBN Deskundigen team Droog zandlandschap een discussiedag voor onderzoekers en andere direct betrokkenen rond het onderwerp “Steenmeel als herstelmaatregel” om kennis, inzichten en onzekerheden rond dit thema uit te wisselen en mogelijke richtlijnen te bespreken voor een eventuele toepassing van steenmeel als herstelmaatregel in natuurgebieden.

Chapter 4 is dedicated to optically stimulated luminescence dating. This technique became available in the 1990s. Also for this dating technique it is valid that detailed knowledge of the technique and the sample properties are crucial for the interpretation of the dates. The case studies of polycyclic driftsand deposits and plaggic Anthrosols demonstrate the differences in ages of organic and mineral fractions of soil samples and how to interpret this in the context of soil genesis.

Sinds het midden van de vorige eeuw heeft de Nederlandse natuur te lijden gehad van overmatige zuur- en stikstofdepositie. Maatregelen om de effecten hiervan te bestrijden, leidden niet altijd tot het gewenste resultaat en hadden soms dermate sterke neveneffecten dat ze eerder ongewenst waren. Sinds kort is steenmeel in beeld als middel dat mogelijk wel de positieve effecten maar niet de neveneffecten heeft. Kennis over de effecten van steenmeel op gedegradeerde natuur en bos is echter nog lang geen gemeengoed. Op 18 februari 2019 organiseerden de VBNE en het OBN Deskundigenteam Droog zandlandschap een discussiedag voor onderzoekers en andere direct betrokkenen rond het onderwerp “Steenmeel als herstelmaatregel” om kennis, inzichten en onzekerheden rond dit thema uit te wisselen en mogelijke richtlijnen te bespreken voor een eventuele toepassing van steenmeel als herstelmaatregel in natuurgebieden.

The molar of a giant deer, Megaloceros giganteus (Blumenbach, 1799), was discovered in sandy deposits of the North Sea, about 10 km west of the present shoreline of the Netherlands. Compacted masticated plant remains were preserved in the molar's deep folds. A palaeoecological analysis of these plant remains shows the complete dominance of pollen from Artemisia (sage) and other Asteraceae Tubuliflorae (Compositae), indicating that the animal foraged in a steppe environment, and may have preferred to eat Artemisia, which contain a high level of nutrients such as calcium and phosphorous components, which are important for antler building. Radiocarbon dating indicates that the plant remains are of mid‐Weichselian age [38 570 (+300, −290) 14C a BP, Greenland Interstadial‐11]. This is the first study of the food choice of M. giganteus based on palaeoecological evidence. We hypothesize about links between the extirpation of M. giganteus at the onset of the Holocene in North‐West Europe and the transition from a landscape with highly dynamic geomorphological processes and consequently prevalence of immature and nutrient‐rich soils, to a less dynamic landscape with stable, leached and acidifying soils, and the decline of Artemisia and other calciphilous plants.

A lithoid tuff, found in 2011 (Ricci pit, Agro Pontino, Southern Lazio, Italy), was studied for its composition, origin and palaeogeographical implications. This tuff was the first occurrence of a Würmian-age tephra layer, encountered in the coastal basins of Southern Lazio. Based on its mineralogy and isotopic composition (Sr and Nd), its stratigraphic position and the pre- and post-depositional soil formation and weathering, it was identified as a distal tephra deposit from the Colli Albani volcano, connected with the Albano 5-7 eruptive stage and dating from 40-36 ka BP. The lithoid tuff consists of tephra that were slightly reworked and subsequently lithified, when this central part of the Agro Pontino graben still consisted of a non-dissected, level lagoonal plain. The study confirms the earlier established importance of this tephra layer as stratigraphic marker for Central Italy, and shows that its distribution is wider than earlier assumed, notably to the SE of the Colli Albani volcano.

Het Beerzerveld is deel van het Natura 2000-gebied Vecht en Beneden-Regge en bestaat uit een complex mozaïek van droge en natte habitats. In de natte gebieden lijkt sprake van verdroging. Bijzonder is dat de veentjes hoog liggen in het landschap en grenzen aan lager gelegen, drogere gronden met heiden. Hoe is deze ‘omgekeerde wereld’ nu precies ontstaan en is er inderdaad sprake van daling van de waterstand? Zo ja, waardoor? En welke implicaties heeft dit voor het hydrologisch functioneren? Op grond van de resultaten van het onderzoek worden beheermaatregelen aanbevolen.

In recent years it was discovered that the Middle to Late Holocene infi ll of the Agro Pontino graben (Central Italy) held a tephra layer originating from the Avellino eruption of the Vesuvius volcano. The eruption is dated to 1995 ± 10 calBC and took therefore place during the Early Bronze Age. This was a violent eruption, covering large parts of Campania, the region in which the volcano is situated, with its ashes. The local population had time to fl ee, but did not return for a period of hundreds of years. One of the possibilities is that people fl ed to the quiet Agro Pontino, at a distance of 120 km, to settle. The fact that the low-lying parts of the graben hold wet, organic deposits of the appropriate age, containing the Avellino tephra layer, provided an opportunity to assess whether an infl ux of new inhabitants is discernable directly after the Avellino event, as a substantial number of newcomers might be detected by an intensifi cation of anthropogenous stress on the environment. The question is tackled by means of pollen analysis, plant macro-remains, malacology and a small excavation. The outcome of these investigations shows that some impact on the environment is visible, but that it is far from clear whether this effect is due to people from abroad or due to an increase of the local population.

This paper presents the first results of a landscape archaeological project carried out in the territory of the ancient colony of Aesernia, modern Isernia, in Molise, Central-Southern Italy. The nature of Roman Republican colonization is currently heavily debated, and the field project aims to contribute to this discussion by investigating the non-urban aspect of a Roman Republican colony that was established in the midst of the Apennine mountains in 263 BC. Through a combination of extensive field surveys (seasons 2011-2013) and geological and geomorphological analysis, the preliminary results show the potential of a landscape archaeological approach and the diversity of settlement strategies within the colonized areas according to different landscape conditions.

Resumen Este estudio presenta una primera aproximación a la relación entre hidrología,calidad del agua, geología y suelos para un ecosistema de jalca cerca de Cajamarca en el norte de Perú. Debido a que las áreas de jalca son propensas a la degradación de sus suelos húmicos, como resultado del uso del suelo y del cambio climático, se requiere mayor información sobre su hidrología y geoecología. Durante dos campañas de campo se evaluó la geología, geomorfología, suelos y vegetación del área. Además, se realizaron mediciones de conductividad eléctrica hidrológica y se tomaron muestras a lo largo de varias quebradas (arroyos). Aunque en la región hay importantes proyectos mineros, no existe actividad minera en las cuencas estudiadas. Los suelos mostraron una clara relación con su sustrato y en muchos casos tuvieron un alto contenido de materia orgánica, que se demuestra por el predominio de horizontes A mólicos y úmbricos. La hidrología es impulsada por un excedente de agua de alrededor de 300 mm por año y el caudal de los ríos está íntimamente relacionado con la estacionalidad de las lluvias. Hemos encontrado que existe una clara relación entre el sustrato subyacente y la química del agua de los arroyos y pantanos. Se pueden distinguir dos tipos de agua: uno originado de rocas extrusivas dacíticas (ignimbritas), con niveles extremadamente bajos de sólidos disueltos totales, un predominio de Ca2+ y HCO3 -, niveles de sodio relativamente altos y una baja RAS (relación de adsorción de sodio). El otro tipo de agua se origina en zonas de roca madre dominadas por calizas, mostrando niveles mucho más altos de sólidos disueltos totales. La contaminación química del agua, expresada en nitratos y amonio, estuvo relacionada especialmente con zonas pobladas. Abstract This study gives a first approximation of the relationship between hydrology and water quality, geology, and soils for a jalca ecosystem near Cajamarca in Northern Peru. As the jalca areas are prone to degradation of their humic soils as a result of land use and climate change, more information is needed on their hydrology and geoecology. During two field campaigns the area was surveyed with regard to geology, geomorphology, soils, and vegetation. Furthermore, hydrological routings were executed, measuring electrical conductivity (EC25) of stream waters and selectively sampling these waters. Soils showed a clear relationship with their substrate and were in many cases high in organic material as shown by the dominance of mollic and umbric A horizons, respectively. The hydrology is driven by a water surplus of around 300mm per year, and stream discharge is closely related to the seasonality of the rainfall. We found that there is a clear relationship between the underlying substrate and the water chemistry of the streams and fens. Two set of water types can be distinguished: one originating from dacitic extrusive rocks (ignimbrites), with extremely low total dissolved solid levels, a dominance of Ca2+ and HCO3 -, and relatively high sodium levels and with low SAR (sodium adsorption ratio) values. The other type of water originates from limestone dominated bedrock areas, showing much higher total dissolved solid levels. Chemical water pollution, as expressed by nitrates and ammonium, was especially related to settlements.

In het kader van ecologisch herstel en ter aanvulling op eerder uitgevoerd inventariserend onderzoek is een bodemonderzoek uitgevoerd van het eigendomsgebied van het GNR ‘de Monnikenberg’. Naar aanleiding van de verworven resultaten zijn de eerder gemaakte inrichtingsplannen uit het Alterra rapport 2209 (2011) besproken en waar mogelijk voorzien van aanbevelingen.

Het behoud en herstel van de grote hoogveenrestanten in Nederland lijkt langzaam de goede kant op te gaan. De habitattypen Herstellend hoogveen (H7120) en Actief hoogveen (H7110_A) worden in het kader van Natura 2000 beschermd en herstelmaatregelen worden geformuleerd. Een kennisvraag die reeds sinds het begin van het OBN-hoogveenonderzoek in 1997 is gesteld, maar nog niet beantwoord is, is de vraag naar mogelijke aantastingen van ‘de veenbasis’. Dit rapport geeft geen antwoord op de vraag, maar biedt een literatuurstudie en kennisoverzicht van de processen die een rol kunnen spelen in de veenbasis en formuleert de onderzoeksvragen die naar het antwoord op deze vraag moeten leiden.

Resumen Los suelos del páramo almacenan cantidades excepcionales de carbono debido a las condiciones edáficas y climáticas sobre las cuales se desarrollan. Este gran reservorio de carbono está amenazado debido a los efectos del cambio climático y las dinámicas de uso de la tierra. No obstante, el desarrollo de mecanismos de mitigación como los promovidos por REDD+ son una alternativa que puede ayudar a reducir los impactos de estas amenazas y promover su conservación. Sin embargo, para la aplicación de estos tipos de mecanismos es fundamental que los procesos asociados al mantenimiento y dinámica del ciclo del carbono sean comprendidos y los posibles impactos puedan ser proyectados. En este trabajo, a partir de una extensa revisión de artículos indexados, se presenta una síntesis del estado actual del conocimiento y se discute las ventajas y limitaciones de la aplicación de modelos de carbono orgánico del suelo y sus parámetros asociados. Como resultado de esta revisión, concluimos que los modelos disponibles actualmente contienen limitaciones importantes asociados a los procesos y flujos de la descomposición de la materia orgánica que impiden su aplicación en los páramos andinos. Adicionalmente, información sobre las variables de ingreso es limitada y lo mismo aplica para información independiente que permita validar los resultados modelados. El artículo concluye con recomendaciones sobre prioridades futuras de investigación, enfatizando la urgencia del desarrollo de estudios comparativos sobre los efectos del uso de la tierra en la dinámica del carbono, en lugar del desarrollo de estudios experimentales en condiciones controladas. Abstract Paramo soils store exceptionally large amounts of carbon because of the specific edaphic and climatic conditions in tropical high-altitude ecosystems. This soil C-stock is threatened by changes in climate and land use, but potentials for its conservation on the basis of REDD+ type mechanisms are high. However, for application of such mechanisms it is crucial that properties and processes involved are adequately understood and impacts can be predicted. In this paper, an overview is given of the current knowledge and applicability of soil carbon models and parameters involved, based on a full search of publications in international refereed journals. The conclusion is that existing models are not readily applicable to paramo soils because of the specific decomposition processes and pathways. Moreover, information on relevant input parameters is scant and the same holds for data that can be used to validate model outputs. Recommendations are given for future research, emphasizing the urgency of comparative studies of land use impacts, rather than of experimental studies.