DIE ERDE – Journal of the Geographical Society of Berlin
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Managing Water Infrastructures in the Berlin-Brandenburg Region between Climate Change, Economic Restructuring and Commercialisation
Get PDFGlobal change is posing a major challenge to existing forms of natural resource use, socio-economic development and institutional regulation. Although trends such as climate change, socio-economic transformation and institutional change are global in their scope, they have very specific regional outcomes. Regionally distinct coping strategies are required which take into account both the diversity of regional impacts of global change and the local contexts of appropriate responses. This paper explores the impacts of global change on the management of water infrastructure systems in the Berlin-Brandenburg region in terms of three concurrent and overlapping challenges: climate change, socio-economic change and institutional change. It subsequently examines how regional actors in the water sector are addressing these three dimensions of global change
The Economic Crisis and the Reshaping of Geography
Get PDFAn exploration of roots and effects of the recent economic and fiscal crisis reveals temporal and spatial characteristics which are used in this paper in order to discuss concepts and explanations from Economic Geography. In general, we may observe a transformation of Western economy and society which, labeled as financialisation, has increasingly structured spatial development on different scales recently. The paper explores (a) more systematically when, where and to what extent geographical elements accelerate crisis developments. These arguments build on the theoretical explanation brought forward by David Harvey and the French regulation school. These insights form (b) a background for arguments for an economic geography of “glocal” crisis in order to improve our explanatory abilities. Strong geographical components become obvious in the causes of the subprime crisis – an issue which reflects the ways the built environment is organised. Furthermore, effects of the crisis reinforce processes of uneven development on both international and sub-national scales
Anthropogenic Changes in the Landscape Hydrology of the Berlin-Brandenburg Region
Get PDFFor decades, water resources have been used intensively for drinking water, industry, agriculture and energy production. This paper summarises the main anthropogenic influences on the water cycle in a Pleistocene landscape and associated geochemical reactions. The results allow the identification and description of the main hydraulic and geochemical processes that control water and solute fluxes in different hydrological compartments, in particular recharge and discharge regions. Under progressive climate change, this process-based knowledge should be used to adapt land and water management to minimise negative impacts on hydrological resources and stabilise the regional water balance in the Berlin-Brandenburg Pleistocene landscape. Based on these results, a risk assessment approach for validation of future management strategies under changing climate conditions is presented
Agricultural Water Management in Brandenburg
Get PDFThe present study explores whether regional water resources can be used more efficiently by Brandenburg’s farming systems. A description of agriculture in Brandenburg today is followed by a systematic analysis of measures to raise the water efficiency. Brandenburg’s agricultural systems are divided into three sections: soil, plant production and livestock farming. Within these sections measures to increase water efficiency are listed and analysed with reference to five objective criteria for raising water use efficiency. In view of the complexity of farming systems in Brandenburg, general measures to raise water use efficiency could not be derived. Site-specific tillage practices and crop patterns adjusted to recent weather conditions may reflect the specific diversity of Brandenburg more efficiently
Economic Crisis and Innovativeness – Exploring Geographies of Impact
Get PDFThe paper explores, mainly from a conceptual angle, regional differences in interdependencies between the recent economic crisis and innovativeness in advanced economies. It addresses two directions of causal relationships between these process fields: In which respects are regional economies more vulnerable or resistant in the face of the crisis, due to their specific constellations of innovativeness? And how does the crisis, in turn, affect regional innovativeness, which may be subject to both hampering and encouraging forces? Arguments that ‘geography matters’ are elaborated by referring to two perspectives, one taking account of regional structure in terms of industry composition, and another one considering region-specific systemic qualities
Crisis and Recovery in the Pearl River Delta. Growth and Employment in the Electronics Industry
Get PDFCompared with most other regions and industries in China, the electronics industry in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) has been hit hard by the crisis of 2008 and 2009. Numerous companies have ceased operations and thousands of workers have been laid off. The orientation of the electronics industry towards exporting low-cost products has proven to be a point of weakness in this ongoing crisis. The aims of this article are threefold: firstly, to highlight the key reasons for the crisis and the Pearl River Delta’s susceptibility to it; secondly, to analyse the channels through which the global crisis affected the PRD, and thirdly, to analyse the immediate effects on companies. All analyses are based on firm-level data acquired in 2009 with support from DFG SPP 1233. They show that the crisis has mainly affected the internationally oriented companies in the PRD
Historical Patterns of Anthropogenic Impacts on Freshwaters in the Berlin-Brandenburg Region
Get PDFSince humans are preferentially settling in flood plains they often influence freshwater systems intensely. The first signs of anthropogenic impacts on surface waters in the Berlin-Brandenburg region are approximately 3000 years old. Considering the multiple and intense human uses of surface waters in this region, we analysed when, how and to which extent regional rivers and streams became impacted by dams, water mills and fish weirs resulting in changes in morphology, hydrology and ecological functioning. We hypothesise that the development and growth of cities in this region necessitated (1) efficient navigability of rivers linking them, (2) efficient use of hydropower resources for mills, and (3) significant pollution of surface waters especially with the beginning of industrial development. We analyse these hypotheses by means of three regional examples and delineate the effects of human uses on selected surface water bodies. Understanding the effects of these historic modifications of surface water supports the identification of options for a sustainable use of surface waters that are currently still subjected to multiple uses but face a significant decrease in discharge due to climate change
Geoarchaeological Methods for Landscape Reconstruction at the Excavation Site of Naga, Central Sudan
Get PDFThe archaeological excavation site of Naga, remains of a Meroitic city, is located in the semiarid region along the fringe of the north-eastern Sahel and the south-eastern Sahara desert, in central Sudan, 150 km north of Khartoum and 40 km south of the Nile. During its heyday the city was a highly developed central place, with a large population and a booming economy. Naga has been the object of archaeological research for several decades – and of geoscientific investigation since 2008. The first step for the investigation was to select adequate methods that combine the advantages of various subdisciplines and approaches. The study presented employs techniques from terrain modelling, geophysics and environmental analytics to evaluate field data with the aim of a comprehensive landscape reconstruction