 This paper presents a new method for generating annual land cover variability using a combination of climate, geology, hydrology, topography, and dendrochronology data. It was used to study the effects of climate change on population dynamics in the Basel region of Switzerland during the late antiquity and early Middle Ages. The authors found that the Palmer Drought Severity Index, PDSI, can be used to predict local river runoff behavior from catchments. They also discovered that this method can help to trace land cover changes and sociocultural responses to climatic variability and subsequent adaptations to environmental vulnerabilities. This article was authored by Michael Kempf and Margot L. C. de Parmentier.