AnthropocenePub Date : 2024-10-29DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100454
Abhik Chakraborty
{"title":"Rethinking the Anthropocene: Not a time-transgressive event but a sudden rupture on the geologic time scale","authors":"Abhik Chakraborty","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100454","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100454","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The recent decision by the International Commission on Stratigraphy to reject the Anthropocene as an Epoch has reignited the debate on its definition. Some scholars have argued for interpreting the Anthropocene as an Event with no specific point of onset, but this argument has its shortcomings, including the fact that the term event has multiple connotations. This Viewpoint adds important insight to the ongoing debate by positing that (i) deliberations on the Anthropocene’s definition should not be confined to geological and historical viewpoints and must include ecological insights, and (ii) there is widespread evidence of anthropogenic reconfiguration of the planetary biosphere which translates to an accelerating sixth mass extinction as well as a conspicuous rise in the Human Appropriation of Net Primary Productivity (HANPP) at an unprecedented rate during the past few decades. When considered together with rapid anthropogenic climate change, these trends mark a major departure from previous trends on the geologic timescale, and they clearly show that the planetary biosphere has recently undergone a sudden and abrupt shift into a novel state, which cannot be adequately described by a temporally diffuse, gradual event; and must be conceptualized as a <em>rupture</em>—a geologically sudden major departure from prevalent trends; which in turn justifies the conceptualization of the Anthropocene as a separate chronostratigraphic unit. Understanding the catastrophic nature of the recent anthropogenic impact on the planetary biosphere is crucial for interpreting the Anthropocene and geologists must be cautious not to dilute its magnitude.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100454"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142560601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropocenePub Date : 2024-10-28DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100453
Luigi Bruno , Matteo Meli , Maria Luisa Garberi
{"title":"Human-induced landscape modification in the in the last two centuries in the Po delta plain (Northern Italy)","authors":"Luigi Bruno , Matteo Meli , Maria Luisa Garberi","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100453","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100453","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Historical maps with high degree of accuracy permit quantitative reconstructions of past land use and land cover (LULC), crucial to assess the impact of human activities on landscape evolution. After georeferencing in a modern reference system, the <em>Carta del Ferrarese</em> commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte and completed in 1814, has been used to quantify the changes in LULC, occurred in the last two centuries in the Po delta plain. The map depicts a palaeo-landscape dominated by wetlands (49 % of the study area) and agricultural areas (41 %), whereas forests appear already largely depleted (5 %). The <em>Piantata Padana</em>, a traditional agroforestry system with live trees used to support grapevines, is dominant (62 % of the agricultural areas). The comparison with the 2014 LULC map highlights a dramatic reduction (85 %) of wetland areas and the replacement of the <em>Piantata Padana</em> with bare arable lands, with the consequent removal of 4–40 million trees. Soils of areas formerly occupied by wetlands show high organic-carbon content, highlighting the potential of humid areas in carbon sequestration. Land reclaiming, prompted by the introduction of steam pumps, favoured the economic development of the area, but concurred to CO<sub>2</sub> emissions through the oxidation of soil organic substances, energy consumption from pumping stations, and the extensive use of hydrocarbon fuels in agriculture. Although urbanisation is limited in the Po delta plain, this area appears nowadays largely shaped by human activities, with the dominance of lands devoted to agriculture, dissected by a dense network of draining channels. The landscape changes recorded in the last two centuries in the Po coastal plain have been uniquely driven by human activities, like in several coastal plains worldwide.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100453"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142560602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropocenePub Date : 2024-10-23DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100452
Paul W. Volante , James M. Kaste , Troy Clift , Matthew N. Waters
{"title":"The environmental consequences of rapid urbanization in central Florida reconstructed with high resolution 241Am and 210Pb dating in lake sediments","authors":"Paul W. Volante , James M. Kaste , Troy Clift , Matthew N. Waters","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100452","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100452","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Throughout the 20th century, Florida was one of the fastest growing states in the US, putting unique environmental stress on the region. Accurately dated lake sediments can provide invaluable records of environmental change that extend beyond monitoring records. Here, we analyze profiles of americium-241 (<sup>241</sup>Am), cesium-137 (<sup>137</sup>Cs), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and uranium-series radionuclides in Lake Bonny in Lakeland, Florida. The <sup>241</sup>Am peak is sharp in the sediment profile, while the <sup>137</sup>Cs peak is broader and spread evenly across two layers. The measured <sup>137</sup>Cs inventory of ∼413 Bq/m<sup>2</sup> is less than half of the expected inventory from atmospheric deposition (accounting for decay since deposition), indicating significant losses. The reliability of <sup>137</sup>Cs as a chronological tool can be complicated in environments with low quantities of 2:1 clays and low available potassium (K), characteristic of Florida and the U.S. southeast. Using a piecewise constant rate of supply <sup>210</sup>Pb model verified by <sup>241</sup>Am, we reconstruct sedimentation and chemical change in this lake. Highest sedimentation rates in the lake occur during decades of peak population growth in the mid-20th century. Uranium (U) and radium-226 (<sup>226</sup>Ra) inputs to the lake reach a maximum in the 1960s, consistent with expansion of local phosphate mines and elevated groundwater pumping during that time in response to drought conditions. Total Pb in the sedimentary record captures the rise and fall of the use of leaded gasoline, but Zn inputs to the lake remain nearly two orders of magnitude above background levels in the last decade. Our high-resolution chronology of the lake reveals regional impacts on water and lake quality in central Florida during a period of rapid population growth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100452"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142561172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropocenePub Date : 2024-10-09DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100451
Duo Wu , Lili Pan , Weifeng Kong , Fahu Chen
{"title":"Anthropocene on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau: A Holocene perspective from multiple sedimentary records","authors":"Duo Wu , Lili Pan , Weifeng Kong , Fahu Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100451","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100451","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Anthropocene is described as the period since ∼1950 when human activities modified the boundary conditions of the Earth system and became the dominant driver of environmental changes. However, since the term ‘Anthropocene’ was proposed, there has been a debate regarding its start date, and several workers are even opposed to its formalization. A prerequisite for clarifying the debate on the start date of the Anthropocene is a historical perspective, which can help determine the form, degree, rate, and trajectory of human influences on the environment. Here, we focus on the Paleoanthropocene as recorded on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. We propose that human activity has had a profound impact on the natural environment of the region during the Holocene owing to the combined impacts of alpine pastoralism, land-cover change caused by deforestation, heavy metal pollution of lakes, agricultural soil erosion, and lake eutrophication caused by industry and agriculture. It is apparent that the terms ‘Anthropocene’ and ‘Anthropocene Science’ have far-reaching meanings, offering great opportunities for interdisciplinary integration and encouraging us to think more deeply about the sustainable development of human society, despite the fact that the impacts of humans and their environmental footprint in geological archives may be transient.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100451"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142441988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropocenePub Date : 2024-09-24DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100450
Marina Ziliotto , José Artur Bogo Chies , Joel Henrique Ellwanger
{"title":"Toxicogenomics of persistent organic pollutants: Potential impacts on biodiversity and infectious diseases","authors":"Marina Ziliotto , José Artur Bogo Chies , Joel Henrique Ellwanger","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100450","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100450","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pollution is recognized as one of the main causes of biodiversity loss. Growing evidence also points to pollution as an important risk factor for the emergence or reemergence of infectious diseases that affect humans and other animals. However, the mechanisms and pathways that explain how pollution erodes biodiversity and favors infectious diseases are poorly explored. Using the Dirty Dozen (aldrin, chlordane, dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane - DDT, dieldrin, dioxins, endrin, furans, heptachlor, hexachlorobenzene, mirex, polychlorinated biphenyls - PCBs, and toxaphene) persistent organic pollutants (POPs) as a study model, in this article we demonstrate through toxicogenomic approaches that these POPs affect thousands of genes involved in the immune system and metabolic processes, among other biological pathways (<em>n</em>=19,086 genes from multiple organisms). One of the major findings indicate that POPs interact with hormone receptor genes prominently (i.e., <em>Esr1</em>, <em>Nr1i2</em> and <em>Ar</em> genes). This finding highlights the activity of these pollutants as hormonal disruptors, with potentially deleterious consequences for the metabolism and reproduction of a wide range of species. These pollutants also have an important genotoxic activity, contributing to genomic instability and other related consequences. In summary, disturbances in the immune system can favor infection and the spread of pathogens, and changes in metabolism and genotoxic effects triggered by pollutants in multiple body systems can reduce fitness, harming the species’ survival in natural environments. The results of this exploratory toxicogenomic analysis represent a new piece in the puzzle that increasingly points to pollution as a major risk factor for both biodiversity loss and emerging infectious diseases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100450"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142322246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Long-term changes of agricultural land over the last century in Romania. The showcase of Romanian plain","authors":"Elena-Ana Urşanu (Popovici) , Ines Grigorescu , Cristina Dumitrică , Gheorghe Kucsicsa , Bianca Mitrică , Irena Roznovietchi (Mocanu) , Monica Dumitraşcu , Cătălin Ciubuc","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100449","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100449","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The current paper is a space-time analysis of agricultural land transitions in the Romanian Plain, which has been significantly impacted during the past century by the fundamental structural and functional transformations. Five maps, derived from historical cartographic materials and the recent CORINE Land Cover databases, were spatially analysed using a transition matrix procedure. The aim was to identify and measure the magnitude of the main land use/cover change flows related to agricultural lands. Furthermore, several underlying factors of the spatial and functional transformations have been discussed so as to understand the evolution of the historical agricultural lands over time. The results show that the most significant changes occurred between 1912 and 1970, when 38 % of the Romanian Plain’s surface underwent transformations, with notable regional differences. The analysis of the change flows in relation to the underlying factors was instrumental in explaining the land processes, an approach that can be used to understand future landscape transformations.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"48 ","pages":"Article 100449"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142243089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Differential impact of climate and land use change on habitat suitability of migrant passerines according to habitat preferences","authors":"Theano Koufaki , Christos Barboutis , Konstantinos Theodorou","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100447","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100447","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Our study contributes to the ongoing dialogue on the impact of climate and habitat changes on migratory bird species, particularly focusing on how these effects vary based on species’ habitat preferences. We used citizen science data for 22 African-Eurasian migratory bird species and categorized them into five groups based on habitat preferences, following the classification methodology of Atkinson et al. (2014). Using ensemble species distribution modeling (SDM), we projected changes in potentially suitable habitats across Africa from 2040 to 2100 under contrasting climate and land use scenarios. Our results indicate a differential impact of climate and land use changes on habitat suitability, with species preferring habitats with shrubs and trees being the most vulnerable. Conversely, other group species, such as open country-grassland and farmland birds could experience a significant increase in suitable habitat. We anticipate a profound change in habitat suitability, with the western part of South Africa becoming unsuitable for most species, while an increase in suitable habitat is expected in the Sahel. Bioclimatic rather than land use variables emerged as the primary drivers of these changes. The extent of change in habitat suitability will be strongly influenced by the Shared Socio-economic Pathways followed by human societies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 100447"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142040971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropocenePub Date : 2024-08-14DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100446
T. Changeux , A. Dragotta , E. Franquet , N. Stolzenberg , J.F. Fruget , L. Marion , C. Souty-Grosset , O. Anneville , L. Cavalli , J.P. Faure , N. Corget , F. Josserand , D. Bănaru
{"title":"Ecosystem based approach to assess the impact of invasive or expanding species in the lower Saône River","authors":"T. Changeux , A. Dragotta , E. Franquet , N. Stolzenberg , J.F. Fruget , L. Marion , C. Souty-Grosset , O. Anneville , L. Cavalli , J.P. Faure , N. Corget , F. Josserand , D. Bănaru","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100446","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100446","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The spread of invasive alien species is identified as one of the most important threats to freshwater ecosystems as they can modify their trophic structure, biomass and flows. The lower Saône River is one of the most biologically productive waterways in France. It has been in strong interaction with a wide range of human activities such as fisheries for at least three millennia. To implement an ecosystem based approach, an Ecopath static trophic model was used for the first time in this river to quantify the role of three invasive or expanding species over two contrasted periods (1988–1993 and 1994–2005). The parameters used in the model integrate on the one hand catch data from fishers (professional, amateur fishing gear users, and anglers), and on the other hand the available literature data on species biomass, diet and the expert assessments of scientists and managers. Species such as the filtering Asian clam <em>Corbicula fluminea</em> may explain the triggering of the ecosystem shift towards a functioning where summer phytoplankton blooms are rarer. In the high trophic levels, the great cormorant <em>Phalacrocorax carbo</em> appears to have low trophic impact while the development of a large population of European catfish <em>Silurus glanis</em> has a strong effect, maintaining important trophic flows in the ecosystem in substitution for the decrease in angling landings.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 100446"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-08-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142041053","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
AnthropocenePub Date : 2024-07-27DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100445
Shuying Wang , Fangjie Yu , Chao Min , Yan He , Rongrong Pan , Qi Shu
{"title":"Projected navigability of Arctic shipping routes based on climate model FIO-ESM v2.1","authors":"Shuying Wang , Fangjie Yu , Chao Min , Yan He , Rongrong Pan , Qi Shu","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100445","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100445","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>As Arctic sea ice has rapidly declined, the navigational potential of the Arctic routes has greatly increased. Based on sea ice output from the First Institute Of Oceanography-Earth System Model version 2.1 (FIO-ESM v2.1) and the Arctic Transport Accessibility Model, this study investigates the future navigability of the Arctic routes for open-water ships (OW) without icebreaking capabilities and ships with different icebreaking capabilities, namely Polar Class 7 (PC7), Polar Class 6 (PC6), and Polar Class 3 (PC3). The results show that the simulations of FIO-ESM v2.1 adequately reproduce the changes in the navigability of the four types of ships in Arctic shipping routes over the past 40 years. The navigable area for the four ship types is projected to continue to expand in the future. Under the high emission scenario (Shared Socioeconomic Pathways 5–8.5, SSP585), the four ship types are projected to achieve full Arctic navigability in summer (September) by the end of the 21st century, and PC6 and PC3 ships are projected to achieve full Arctic navigability in winter (March). Under the high emission scenario, year-round navigability in the Northwest Passage is projected for PC3 and PC6 ships, and in the Northeast Passage is projected for all four types of ships. The impact of emission scenario on the navigability of the Arctic shipping routes varies with different ship types: the largest impact is for OW ships, followed by PC6 and PC7 ships, and the smallest impact is for PC3 ships. The impact of scenario is also larger in winter than in summer.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"47 ","pages":"Article 100445"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213305424000225/pdfft?md5=1a7f5d5ae81ee0f969bc5f43ccbcea1e&pid=1-s2.0-S2213305424000225-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141840094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}