Evidence and experiment: Curating contexts of Anthropocene geology

Rosol, Christoph; Schäfer, Georg N; Turner, Simon; Waters, Colin N.; Head, Martin J.; Zalasiewicz, Jan; Rossée, Carlina; Renn, Jürgen; Klingan, Katrin; Scherer, Bernd M

doi:10.1177/20530196231165621

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…Since 2019 there has been a concerted effort to provide multi-proxy assessments of a number of potential GSSP sites and other reference sections around the planet (Figure 1; Table 1), in a unique analytical programme enabled by Berlin’s Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Rosol et al, 2023). The 12 publications contained in this thematic set present the results of these studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Candidate sites and other reference sections for the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point of the Anthropocene series

Waters

Turner

Zalasiewicz

et al. 2023

The Anthropocene Review

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We review and compare proposals for 12 reference sections submitted to the Anthropocene Working Group of the International Subcommission on Quaternary Stratigraphy, of which one will be recommended as the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) to define the base of the Anthropocene as a series within the Geological Time Scale. The sites span five continents and are located in diverse environments, with all but one sampled by coring. Many sites show annually resolved laminae (here considered optimal for GSSP selection) that can be independently dated radiometrically to confirm a complete succession over the critical interval. An extensive range of proxies, documenting profound human modification of the Earth System at around the mid-20th century interval, has been analysed. Airborne signals (e.g. radioisotopes, fly ash, stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes) provide the most widespread and near-isochronous proxies, applicable across most environments. Additional means of correlation include the appearance of microplastics and persistent organic pollutants, and shifts in heavy metal concentrations and lead isotope ratios. Assemblage changes of microfossils (and some macrofossils) in marine, estuarine and lake settings reflect environmental changes and biological introductions. These systematic and comprehensive datasets, with correlation established between sections, provides the basis for a proposal to formalize the Anthropocene.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Candidate sites and other reference sections for the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point of the Anthropocene series

Waters

Turner

Zalasiewicz

et al. 2023

The Anthropocene Review

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“…Eight distinct environments (anoxic marine basin, estuary/coastal, coral bioherms, lakes, peatlands, ice sheet, speleothem and urban anthropogenic deposits) in 12 locations across five continents have been assessed since 2019, with multi-proxy appraisals of these as potential GSSP sites and associated reference sections (Figure 1; Table 1). The analytical programme was enabled by Berlin's Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Rosol et al, 2023) and the site analyses were guided by, but were independent of, the AWG, though many AWG members were involved in one or more studies . A full description of the data and assessments for suitability for each site has been published in a thematic volume (vol.…”

Section: Assessment Of Candidate Stratotypes For the Anthropocenementioning

confidence: 99%

Part 2: Descriptions of the proposed Crawford Lake GSSP and supporting SABSs. The Anthropocene Epoch and Crawfordian Age: proposals by the Anthropocene Working Group

Waters,

Turner,

et al. 2024

Preprint

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This part of the Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) submission proposes that the base of the Anthropocene should be defined as series/epoch, terminating the Holocene Series/Epoch with a single Crawfordian stage/age using a Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) in an annually varved Crawford Lake core, Ontario, Canada, defined at 17.5 cm in core CRA23-BC-1F-B at the base of the dark lamina in a varve deposited in 1952 CE, at the level where the primary marker shows a rapid increase in 239+240Pu concentrations (coinciding with a globally recognisable, isochronous signal of the first above-ground thermonuclear tests). Secondary markers, determined in precisely correlated core closely adjacent to the proposed GSSP host, include a marked increase in 14C values and in spheroidal carbonaceous particles (SCPs), increased heavy metal concentrations, a decline in δ15N values, a marked change in phytoplankton assemblages and declines in elm (Ulmus) pollen and in non-arboreal pollen. The submission also provides descriptions of three proposed Standard Auxiliary Boundary Stratotypes (SABSs), in cores extracted from marine anoxic sediments of Beppu Bay (Japan), in Sihailongwan Maar Lake (China) and in the Śnieżka Peatland (Poland) and eight reference sections located in cores extracted from marine anoxic sediments in the Baltic Sea, from coral bioherms off Australia and in the Gulf of Mexico, from an Antarctic ice core, from San Francisco Estuary and nearby lake (USA), in a speleothem from northern Italy and a section in urban anthropogenic deposits in Austria. This ubiquity of signals verifies that the Anthropocene can be widely delineated as a sharply distinctive chronostratigraphic unit in diverse terrestrial and marine depositional environments, and reflects a major Earth System change that will have geologically lasting consequences.

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“…There has been an unprecedented increase in extreme and adverse weather events [ 1 ], a staggering loss of biodiversity amounting to the Sixth Mass Extinction [ 2 ], a decline in quality of water [ 3 ] and air [ 4 ], an increase in world hunger [ 5 ]. The numerous direct and indirect impacts of human activities would likely result in scientists officially announcing the start of a new epoch (the Anthropocene era) to denote the impact human beings have had on the earth’s ecosystems [ 6 ]. As a result, there is an urgent need for innovative solutions that help mitigate the effects of human activities such as land use and climate change, while also assisting society to adapt to current and future situations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Green treasures: Investigating the biodiversity potential of equine yards through the presence and quality of landscape features in the Netherlands

Wolframm,

Heric,

Allen

2024

PLoS ONE

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At a time of mounting ecological crises and biodiversity loss, there is an urgent need for nature-based solutions. Equestrian properties cover a considerable proportion of the European rural and peri-urban landscape and provide much potential for integrating ecosystem services, such as the inclusion of small landscape features. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence and quality of landscape features (LF) to help determine how the equine sector can contribute to the agro-ecological transition. Using a citizen science approach, 87 commercial and 420 private yard owners reported the type, frequency and geometric dimension of LFs and additional biodiversity enhancing features. A hierarchical multivariate regression was used to determine how equine property characteristics explain variation in the Percentage Property Coverage (PPC) of LFs. The model explained 47% of the variation of PPC. The variables that explained significant variation in PPC included Yard size, Number of LFs, Tree rows, Fruit orchard, Wild hedges, Flowering strips, Buffer strips, Embankments and Cluttered corners. Commercial yards are significantly larger with significantly more horses and on average only 9% (±13.87%) of the property was covered by LFs whilst private yards had significantly more coverage of LFs with on average 12% (±14.77%). These findings highlight the substantial yet untapped potential of equine yards in fostering biodiversity, suggesting that the equine sector could play an important role in the agro-ecological transition. To encourage more biodiverse-inclusive yard designs, tailored strategies should consider the diverse factors influencing equine yard design, including existing knowledge, client demands, financial considerations, and equine health and welfare.

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Evidence and experiment: Curating contexts of Anthropocene geology

Cited by 10 publications

References 16 publications

Candidate sites and other reference sections for the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point of the Anthropocene series

Candidate sites and other reference sections for the Global boundary Stratotype Section and Point of the Anthropocene series

Part 2: Descriptions of the proposed Crawford Lake GSSP and supporting SABSs. The Anthropocene Epoch and Crawfordian Age: proposals by the Anthropocene Working Group

Green treasures: Investigating the biodiversity potential of equine yards through the presence and quality of landscape features in the Netherlands

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