Abstract
Abstract. Space and time analyses of channel changes, especially within large rivers subject to high levels of human impact, are critical to address multiple questions about rivers in the Anthropocene era. The reconstruction of long-term (> 150 year) evolutionary trajectories permits an understanding of how natural and anthropogenic factors impact hydromorphological and ecological processes in rivers, helps with the design of sustainable management and restoration options, and may also help in the assessment of future changes. However, the reconstruction of channel changes can be challenging: historical data are often scattered across many archives, and the quantity and accuracy of information generally decreases as one goes back in time. This data article provides a historical database of 350 cartographic and topo-bathymetric resources on the French Rhône River (530 km in length) compiled from the 17th to mid-20th century, with a temporal focus prior to extensive river training (1860s). The data were collected in 14 national, regional, and departmental archive services. A table describes the properties of each archived data item and its associated iconographic files. Some of the historical maps are available in a georeferenced format. A GIS layer enables one-click identification of all archive data available for a given reach of the French Rhône River. This database provides substantial new material for deeper analyses of channel changes over a longer time period and at a finer time step compared with previously available data. The database has several potential applications in geomorphology, retrospective hydraulic modelling, historical ecology, and river restoration, as well as permitting comparisons with other multi-impacted rivers worldwide. The dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.1594/PANGAEA.922437 (Arnaud et al., 2020a). Iconographic extracts of the 350 archived items are available at http://photo.driihm.fr/index.php/category/52 (last access: 2 May 2021).
Highlights
Characterization of the evolutionary trajectories of the world’s rivers and floodplains is crucial for assessment of space–time changes in biogeomorphic processes, the quantification of anthropogenic impacts, and the planning of sustainable management based on conservation and restoration options (Grabowski et al, 2014; Mould and Fryirs, 2018).The analysis of long-term (> 150 year) channel changes provides a holistic understanding of the trajectory of fluvial hydrosystems and their drivers, which helps in defining process-based restoration objectives, rather than determining static reference states (Dufour and Piégay, 2009; Eschbach et al, 2018)
Arnaud et al.: Database on the French Rhône River (17th–20th century) related to climate variability and different degrees of human pressures to help in the assessment of future river changes in the Anthropocene (Pont et al, 2015; Słowik, 2015; Piégay et al, 2020)
This paper presents a historical database of 350 cartographic and topo-bathymetric resources covering the French Rhône River, collected from 14 national, regional, and departmental archive services
Summary
Characterization of the evolutionary trajectories of the world’s rivers and floodplains is crucial for assessment of space–time changes in biogeomorphic processes, the quantification of anthropogenic impacts, and the planning of sustainable management based on conservation and restoration options (Grabowski et al, 2014; Mould and Fryirs, 2018).The analysis of long-term (> 150 year) channel changes provides a holistic understanding of the trajectory of fluvial hydrosystems and their drivers, which helps in defining process-based restoration objectives, rather than determining static reference states (Dufour and Piégay, 2009; Eschbach et al, 2018). Aerial images, topographic, and bathymetric surveys are generally selected at regular time steps, if available, or before and after major events (floods, river engineering phases) to assess changes in the river hydromorphological conditions This set of archival materials is used to extract channel features such as active channel width, bar-island areas (Hohensinner et al, 2004, 2021; Michalková et al, 2011; Scorpio et al, 2015; Lestel et al, 2018), bed degradation and floodplain aggradation rates (Steiger et al, 2001; Downs et al, 2013; Arnaud et al, 2015), riparian vegetation patterns (Cadol et al, 2011; Belletti et al, 2013; Kui et al, 2017; Safran et al, 2017), and landscape unit characteristics (Dufour et al, 2015; Solins et al, 2018; Piégay et al, 2020). They are key resources in historical ecology, allowing the formulation of hypothesis on fish habitat–species relationships since the industrial revolution, especially given the lack of old quantitative data in terms of species number, abundance, and distributions (Carrel, 2002; Frimpong et al, 2016; Belliard et al, 2018)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
