Gert Verstraeten
Biographic Data
| ID | 3636651 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Gert Verstraeten |
| GIVEN NAMES | Gert |
| FAMILY NAME | Verstraeten |
| SIGNATURE | VERSTRAETEN G |
| AFFILIATIONS | KU Leuven |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6529-7381 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 63 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 4 |
‘Par mesure de prudence’. Flood prevention and river regulation in Demer-Dijle confluence area (NE Belgium), 1840s–1880s
This article analyses the views of experts and political discourse on river regulation, its objectives, and flood prevention in the rural Demer-Dijle catchment areas, the 1840s–1880s – a period marked by climatological extremes and agricultural transition. Via a close read of state archives and parliamentary discussions, we unravel different opinions and interests and find that not all flooding was unwanted. While the Ministry of Public Works, at…
Evaluating the suitability of sedimentological, geochemical, and biological proxies for reconstructing floodplain palaeohydrology
Holocene Floodplain Transformation Through Catchment‐Scale Human‐Environment Interactions
Floodplains across the European loess region transformed from nature‐ to human‐dominated environments during the Holocene. A general framework of this evolution is well established, but it is less clear how differences in timing—observed within and between catchments—can be explained. Although human impact is an important driver, little attention has thus far been paid to the actual human activities involved, their intensities, and spatiotemporal…
Changing Course
Transformations in river management that manifest diverse forms of (increased) human interference, evidenced by hydraulic ingenuity and associated ecosystem disturbance, are usually explained as successive water regimes. Researchers then analyse factors that triggered regime shifts and discuss (un)successful attempts by policymakers to juggle conflicting interests. Few studies, however, centre on medium-sized rivers that are nevertheless characte…
Temporal and spatial variability of suspended sediment rating curves for rivers draining into the Ethiopian Rift Valley
Quantification of suspended sediment dynamics is a proxy for the intensity of soil erosion processes in a catchment. However, direct measurement of suspended sediments is difficult. Long‐term‐based discharge‐suspended sediment relationships often fail to provide sufficiently accurate results due to the temporal variations in sediment supply. This study evaluates temporal variations in suspended sediment‐discharge relations for six stations in two…
Changing Course
Transformations in river management that manifest diverse forms of (increased) human interference, evidenced by hydraulic ingenuity and associated ecosystem disturbance, are usually explained as successive water regimes. Researchers then analyse factors that triggered regime shifts and discuss (un)successful attempts by policymakers to juggle conflicting interests. Few studies, however, centre on medium-sized rivers that are nevertheless characte…
Reconstructing valley landscapes. GIS-analyses of past land use changes in three Flemish river valleys since the late 18th century
Late-Holocene Sediment Storage in Upland Valley Systems in the Gamo Highlands of Southern Ethiopia
Part of the eroded soil material from the hillslopes is temporarily stored on hillslopes and in river valleys as colluvial and alluvial storage, respectively. This storage component of a catchment’s sediment budget is an important archive reflecting past erosion and sediment delivery processes in relation to both natural and anthropogenic environmental changes. Information on long-term sediment dynamics (i.e., centennial to millennial timescales)…
Vegetation changes and sediment dynamics in the Lake Alaotra region, central Madagascar
Madagascar is known for its high erosion rates in the central highlands, yet the role of human disturbance versus natural processes is not well understood and is a topic of ongoing debate. At present the necessary quantitative data to couple vegetation dynamics and sediment fluxes over time in Madagascar is scarce. This study aims to provide more insight in vegetation changes and sediment transfers over the last millennia in the Lake Alaotra regi…
The potential of Reveals-based vegetation reconstructions using pollen records from alluvial floodplains
Marginal” Landscapes
The western Taurus mountains, southwest Turkey, comprise a diverse set of landscape zones that are characterized by great altitude variations. This article focuses on the agricultural so-called marginal highlands within this mountainous region. Large parts of the uplands are labeled “marginal” nowadays as they are not regarded as highly productive in terms of agricultural output or permanent occupation. Three decades of interdisciplinary research…
Holocene demographic fluctuations, climate and erosion in the Mediterranean
As part of the Changing the Face of the Mediterranean Project, we consider how human pressure and concomitant erosion has affected a range of Mediterranean landscapes between the Neolithic and, in some cases, the post-medieval period. Part of this assessment comprises an investigation of relationships among palaeodemographic data, evidence for vegetation change and some consideration of rapid climate change events. The erosion data include recent…
The Dynamic Nature of the Transition from the Nile Floodplain to the Desert in Central Egypt since the Mid-Holocene
edition: first
The Analysis of Historical Maps as an Avenue to the Interpretation of Pre-Industrial Irrigation Practices in Egypt
Detecting modern desert to urban transitions from space in the surroundings of the Giza World Heritage site and Greater Cairo
From natural to human-dominated floodplain geoecology - A Holocene perspective for the Dijle catchment, Belgium
Quantification of human-environment interactions in the past
Holocene floodplain deposition and scale effects in a typical European upland catchment
This study quantifies Holocene alluvial sediment deposition in the Belgian Amblève catchment (1080 km 2 ), situated in the Ardennes uplands. An extended coring data set is used for a quantitative description and a quantification of the alluvial depositions. The floodplains fall into three main types: the upper and lower floodplains and the steep reaches. Total Holocene alluvial sediment deposition amounts to 32 Tg, or 0.029 Tg/km 2 . Dating of se…
Impact of the spatial and thematic resolution of Holocene anthropogenic land-cover scenarios on modeled soil erosion and sediment delivery rates
Recent reconstructions of global Holocene vegetation may provide a powerful means to quantify long-term cumulative sediment fluxes induced by anthropogenic land-cover changes. However, the former’s low spatial resolutions question their potential for use in geomorphic models, since sediment redistribution processes operate at much smaller scales. Furthermore, current land-cover reconstructions often do not differentiate the typology of human impa…
Sensitivity of floodplain geoecology to human impact
Floodplain deposition rates have increased markedly under influence of human impact throughout the late Holocene in many western and central European catchments. Consequently the geomorphology and ecology of many floodplains changed. In this study we discuss this human impact and its influence on the floodplain geoecology during the middle and late Holocene for the headwaters of the Dijle catchment, located in the Belgian loess belt. The floodpla…
The changing human impact on sediment dynamics since the introduction of agriculture
Numerically derived evidence for late-Holocene climate change and its impact on human presence in the southwest Taurus Mountains, Turkey
A well-dated pollen diagram from Gravgaz marsh, near the archaeological site of Sagalassos (western Taurus Mountains, Turkey), provides the first detailed record of vegetation change in southwest Turkey during the last two millennia. A newly developed numerical analysis disentangles the climatic and anthropogenic influences on vegetation and reveals for the first time for southwest Turkey the timing and influence of late-Holocene climate change. …
Man, vegetation and climate during the Holocene in the territory of Sagalassos, Western Taurus Mountains, SW Turkey
Pisidian’ culture? The Classical-Hellenistic site at Düzen Tepe near Sagalassus (southwest Turkey)
In 2005, during the annual ‘intensive’ archaeological survey in the peri-urban zone of Sagalassus (Pisidia, southwest Anatolia), the remains of an extensive Classical-Hellenistic settlement were identified at Düzen Tepe, 1.8km southwest of Sagalassus. The results of three seasons of site investigation (2005–2007), comprising archaeological and geophysical surveys, architectural and topographical mapping, test soundings, and archaeometric and envi…
Reconstruction of late-Holocene slope and dry valley sediment dynamics in a Belgian loess environment
To unravel the evolution of a dry valley in the Belgian loess area soils and sediments along a slope catena were studied in detail. A 67 m long trench was opened from the upper slope to the centre of the valley bottom. The exposed soils and sediments showed evidence of severe soil erosion and other human disturbances that significantly changed the valley topography. The early-Holocene slope gradient was up to 25%, whereas now it is less than 10%.…
Soil erosion and sediment deposition in the Belgian oess belt during the Holocene
A method to establish a Holocene sediment budget for a 103 ha agricultural catchment representative for the Belgian loess belt is presented. Soil erosion and sediment deposition were determined based on 185 coring locations and a large excavation in the valley bottom. Results were integrated in a GIS and interpolation techniques applied to derive spatial patterns of erosion and sedimentation. Total soil erosion, sediment deposition and sediment e…
Holocene demographic fluctuations, climate and erosion in the Mediterranean
As part of the Changing the Face of the Mediterranean Project, we consider how human pressure and concomitant erosion has affected a range of Mediterranean landscapes between the Neolithic and, in some cases, the post-medieval period. Part of this assessment comprises an investigation of relationships among palaeodemographic data, evidence for vegetation change and some consideration of rapid climate change events. The erosion data include recent…
Man, vegetation and climate during the Holocene in the territory of Sagalassos, Western Taurus Mountains, SW Turkey
Integrating science, policy and farmers to reduce soil loss and sediment delivery in Flanders, Belgium
Sensitivity of floodplain geoecology to human impact
Floodplain deposition rates have increased markedly under influence of human impact throughout the late Holocene in many western and central European catchments. Consequently the geomorphology and ecology of many floodplains changed. In this study we discuss this human impact and its influence on the floodplain geoecology during the middle and late Holocene for the headwaters of the Dijle catchment, located in the Belgian loess belt. The floodpla…
Reconstruction of late-Holocene slope and dry valley sediment dynamics in a Belgian loess environment
To unravel the evolution of a dry valley in the Belgian loess area soils and sediments along a slope catena were studied in detail. A 67 m long trench was opened from the upper slope to the centre of the valley bottom. The exposed soils and sediments showed evidence of severe soil erosion and other human disturbances that significantly changed the valley topography. The early-Holocene slope gradient was up to 25%, whereas now it is less than 10%.…
From natural to human-dominated floodplain geoecology - A Holocene perspective for the Dijle catchment, Belgium
Numerically derived evidence for late-Holocene climate change and its impact on human presence in the southwest Taurus Mountains, Turkey
A well-dated pollen diagram from Gravgaz marsh, near the archaeological site of Sagalassos (western Taurus Mountains, Turkey), provides the first detailed record of vegetation change in southwest Turkey during the last two millennia. A newly developed numerical analysis disentangles the climatic and anthropogenic influences on vegetation and reveals for the first time for southwest Turkey the timing and influence of late-Holocene climate change. …
Impact of the spatial and thematic resolution of Holocene anthropogenic land-cover scenarios on modeled soil erosion and sediment delivery rates
Recent reconstructions of global Holocene vegetation may provide a powerful means to quantify long-term cumulative sediment fluxes induced by anthropogenic land-cover changes. However, the former’s low spatial resolutions question their potential for use in geomorphic models, since sediment redistribution processes operate at much smaller scales. Furthermore, current land-cover reconstructions often do not differentiate the typology of human impa…
Pisidian’ culture? The Classical-Hellenistic site at Düzen Tepe near Sagalassus (southwest Turkey)
In 2005, during the annual ‘intensive’ archaeological survey in the peri-urban zone of Sagalassus (Pisidia, southwest Anatolia), the remains of an extensive Classical-Hellenistic settlement were identified at Düzen Tepe, 1.8km southwest of Sagalassus. The results of three seasons of site investigation (2005–2007), comprising archaeological and geophysical surveys, architectural and topographical mapping, test soundings, and archaeometric and envi…
Holocene Floodplain Transformation Through Catchment‐Scale Human‐Environment Interactions
Floodplains across the European loess region transformed from nature‐ to human‐dominated environments during the Holocene. A general framework of this evolution is well established, but it is less clear how differences in timing—observed within and between catchments—can be explained. Although human impact is an important driver, little attention has thus far been paid to the actual human activities involved, their intensities, and spatiotemporal…
Reconstructing valley landscapes. GIS-analyses of past land use changes in three Flemish river valleys since the late 18th century
Vegetation changes and sediment dynamics in the Lake Alaotra region, central Madagascar
Madagascar is known for its high erosion rates in the central highlands, yet the role of human disturbance versus natural processes is not well understood and is a topic of ongoing debate. At present the necessary quantitative data to couple vegetation dynamics and sediment fluxes over time in Madagascar is scarce. This study aims to provide more insight in vegetation changes and sediment transfers over the last millennia in the Lake Alaotra regi…
The potential of Reveals-based vegetation reconstructions using pollen records from alluvial floodplains
Quantification of human-environment interactions in the past
Holocene floodplain deposition and scale effects in a typical European upland catchment
This study quantifies Holocene alluvial sediment deposition in the Belgian Amblève catchment (1080 km 2 ), situated in the Ardennes uplands. An extended coring data set is used for a quantitative description and a quantification of the alluvial depositions. The floodplains fall into three main types: the upper and lower floodplains and the steep reaches. Total Holocene alluvial sediment deposition amounts to 32 Tg, or 0.029 Tg/km 2 . Dating of se…
Where Did Djehutihotep Erect His Colossal Statue
The tomb of Djehutihotep at Deir al-Barsha contains a well-known scene depicting the transport of the nomarch's colossal statue from Hatnub. Little attention has been paid to the matter of what the destination of the monument was. This article first reevaluates the most elaborate statement on the issue, by P. E. Newberry, whose conclusion that the statue was brought to Ashmunein has been almost universally accepted. Close study of the scene and o…
Gully erosion and environmental change
Integrating science, policy and farmers to reduce soil loss and sediment delivery in Flanders, Belgium
Soil erosion and sediment deposition in the Belgian oess belt during the Holocene
A method to establish a Holocene sediment budget for a 103 ha agricultural catchment representative for the Belgian loess belt is presented. Soil erosion and sediment deposition were determined based on 185 coring locations and a large excavation in the valley bottom. Results were integrated in a GIS and interpolation techniques applied to derive spatial patterns of erosion and sedimentation. Total soil erosion, sediment deposition and sediment e…
Where Did Djehutihotep Erect His Colossal Statue
The tomb of Djehutihotep at Deir al-Barsha contains a well-known scene depicting the transport of the nomarch's colossal statue from Hatnub. Little attention has been paid to the matter of what the destination of the monument was. This article first reevaluates the most elaborate statement on the issue, by P. E. Newberry, whose conclusion that the statue was brought to Ashmunein has been almost universally accepted. Close study of the scene and o…
Belgium
This chapter contains sections titled: Introduction Historic Evidence for Soil Erosion in Belgium Contemporary Erosion Processes in Belgium Soil Erosion-Related Environmental Problems in Belgium Farmer and Government Response Conclusions References
Reconstruction of late-Holocene slope and dry valley sediment dynamics in a Belgian loess environment
To unravel the evolution of a dry valley in the Belgian loess area soils and sediments along a slope catena were studied in detail. A 67 m long trench was opened from the upper slope to the centre of the valley bottom. The exposed soils and sediments showed evidence of severe soil erosion and other human disturbances that significantly changed the valley topography. The early-Holocene slope gradient was up to 25%, whereas now it is less than 10%.…
Pisidian’ culture? The Classical-Hellenistic site at Düzen Tepe near Sagalassus (southwest Turkey)
In 2005, during the annual ‘intensive’ archaeological survey in the peri-urban zone of Sagalassus (Pisidia, southwest Anatolia), the remains of an extensive Classical-Hellenistic settlement were identified at Düzen Tepe, 1.8km southwest of Sagalassus. The results of three seasons of site investigation (2005–2007), comprising archaeological and geophysical surveys, architectural and topographical mapping, test soundings, and archaeometric and envi…
Numerically derived evidence for late-Holocene climate change and its impact on human presence in the southwest Taurus Mountains, Turkey
A well-dated pollen diagram from Gravgaz marsh, near the archaeological site of Sagalassos (western Taurus Mountains, Turkey), provides the first detailed record of vegetation change in southwest Turkey during the last two millennia. A newly developed numerical analysis disentangles the climatic and anthropogenic influences on vegetation and reveals for the first time for southwest Turkey the timing and influence of late-Holocene climate change. …
Man, vegetation and climate during the Holocene in the territory of Sagalassos, Western Taurus Mountains, SW Turkey
The changing human impact on sediment dynamics since the introduction of agriculture
Holocene floodplain deposition and scale effects in a typical European upland catchment
This study quantifies Holocene alluvial sediment deposition in the Belgian Amblève catchment (1080 km 2 ), situated in the Ardennes uplands. An extended coring data set is used for a quantitative description and a quantification of the alluvial depositions. The floodplains fall into three main types: the upper and lower floodplains and the steep reaches. Total Holocene alluvial sediment deposition amounts to 32 Tg, or 0.029 Tg/km 2 . Dating of se…
Impact of the spatial and thematic resolution of Holocene anthropogenic land-cover scenarios on modeled soil erosion and sediment delivery rates
Recent reconstructions of global Holocene vegetation may provide a powerful means to quantify long-term cumulative sediment fluxes induced by anthropogenic land-cover changes. However, the former’s low spatial resolutions question their potential for use in geomorphic models, since sediment redistribution processes operate at much smaller scales. Furthermore, current land-cover reconstructions often do not differentiate the typology of human impa…
Sensitivity of floodplain geoecology to human impact
Floodplain deposition rates have increased markedly under influence of human impact throughout the late Holocene in many western and central European catchments. Consequently the geomorphology and ecology of many floodplains changed. In this study we discuss this human impact and its influence on the floodplain geoecology during the middle and late Holocene for the headwaters of the Dijle catchment, located in the Belgian loess belt. The floodpla…
From natural to human-dominated floodplain geoecology - A Holocene perspective for the Dijle catchment, Belgium
Quantification of human-environment interactions in the past
Detecting modern desert to urban transitions from space in the surroundings of the Giza World Heritage site and Greater Cairo
The Dynamic Nature of the Transition from the Nile Floodplain to the Desert in Central Egypt since the Mid-Holocene
edition: first
The Analysis of Historical Maps as an Avenue to the Interpretation of Pre-Industrial Irrigation Practices in Egypt
Marginal” Landscapes
The western Taurus mountains, southwest Turkey, comprise a diverse set of landscape zones that are characterized by great altitude variations. This article focuses on the agricultural so-called marginal highlands within this mountainous region. Large parts of the uplands are labeled “marginal” nowadays as they are not regarded as highly productive in terms of agricultural output or permanent occupation. Three decades of interdisciplinary research…
Holocene demographic fluctuations, climate and erosion in the Mediterranean
As part of the Changing the Face of the Mediterranean Project, we consider how human pressure and concomitant erosion has affected a range of Mediterranean landscapes between the Neolithic and, in some cases, the post-medieval period. Part of this assessment comprises an investigation of relationships among palaeodemographic data, evidence for vegetation change and some consideration of rapid climate change events. The erosion data include recent…
Late-Holocene Sediment Storage in Upland Valley Systems in the Gamo Highlands of Southern Ethiopia
Part of the eroded soil material from the hillslopes is temporarily stored on hillslopes and in river valleys as colluvial and alluvial storage, respectively. This storage component of a catchment’s sediment budget is an important archive reflecting past erosion and sediment delivery processes in relation to both natural and anthropogenic environmental changes. Information on long-term sediment dynamics (i.e., centennial to millennial timescales)…
Vegetation changes and sediment dynamics in the Lake Alaotra region, central Madagascar
Madagascar is known for its high erosion rates in the central highlands, yet the role of human disturbance versus natural processes is not well understood and is a topic of ongoing debate. At present the necessary quantitative data to couple vegetation dynamics and sediment fluxes over time in Madagascar is scarce. This study aims to provide more insight in vegetation changes and sediment transfers over the last millennia in the Lake Alaotra regi…
The potential of Reveals-based vegetation reconstructions using pollen records from alluvial floodplains
Changing Course
Transformations in river management that manifest diverse forms of (increased) human interference, evidenced by hydraulic ingenuity and associated ecosystem disturbance, are usually explained as successive water regimes. Researchers then analyse factors that triggered regime shifts and discuss (un)successful attempts by policymakers to juggle conflicting interests. Few studies, however, centre on medium-sized rivers that are nevertheless characte…
Temporal and spatial variability of suspended sediment rating curves for rivers draining into the Ethiopian Rift Valley
Quantification of suspended sediment dynamics is a proxy for the intensity of soil erosion processes in a catchment. However, direct measurement of suspended sediments is difficult. Long‐term‐based discharge‐suspended sediment relationships often fail to provide sufficiently accurate results due to the temporal variations in sediment supply. This study evaluates temporal variations in suspended sediment‐discharge relations for six stations in two…
Geography (26 works) · Geology (17 works) · Archaeology (16 works) · Environmental Science (14 works) · Soil erosion and sediment transport (14 works) · Ecology (13 works) · Geomorphology (13 works) · Erosion (11 works) · Floodplain (11 works) · Holocene (11 works)