Abstract
The 350‐km‐long Austrian Danube river section has been changed dramatically by channelisation in the 19th century and by hydropower plant construction since the 1950s. These have drastically reduced the hydrological connectivity and flood retention capacity of the Danube river landscape. Restoration measures currently under discussion for the Machland floodplain (river‐km 2094–2084) aim to re‐establish lateral connectivity in floodplain areas that are hydrologically separated from the main channel. This would also help increase the flood retention capacity. In this discussion process, the analysis of historical records provides useful baseline data for estimating natural reference conditions prior to channelisation and improves the evaluation of the effectiveness of selected restoration measures. Here, surveys from 1812 were used to generate a digital terrain model of the former undisturbed river landscape. The present case study of the Danube River proves (1) that comprehensive historical records can quantitatively document the physical environment of an entire river landscape based on data analysis and modelling and (2) that historical analyses can yield valuable reference data for assessing the restoration potential. This approach also provides essential baseline data to evaluate the abiotic and biotic reference conditions according to the specifications of the EU Water Framework Directive.
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