The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene
Colin N. Waters
(1)
,
Jan Zalasiewicz
(2)
,
Colin Summerhayes
(3)
,
Anthony D. Barnosky
(4)
,
Clément Poirier
(5)
,
Agnieszka Gałuszka
(6)
,
Alejandro Cearreta
(7)
,
Matt Edgeworth
(8)
,
Erle C. Ellis
(9)
,
Michael Ellis
(1)
,
Catherine Jeandel
(10)
,
Reinhold Leinfelder
(11)
,
J. R. Mcneill
(12)
,
Daniel Deb. Richter
(13)
,
Will Steffen
(14)
,
James Syvitski
(15)
,
Davor Vidas
(16)
,
Michael Wagreich
(17)
,
Mark Williams
(18)
,
An Zhisheng
(19)
,
Jacques Grinevald
(20)
,
Eric Odada
(21)
,
Naomi Oreskes
(22)
,
Alexander P. Wolfe
(23)
1
BGS -
British Geological Survey
2 Department of Geology [Leicester]
3 Scott Polar Research Institute
4 LBNL - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory [Berkeley]
5 M2C - Morphodynamique Continentale et Côtière
6 Silesian University of Technology
7 UPV/EHU - Universidad del Pais Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea [Espagne]
8 University of Leicester
9 UMBC - University of Maryland [Baltimore County]
10 LEGOS - Laboratoire d'études en Géophysique et océanographie spatiales
11 Freie Universität Berlin
12 GU - Georgetown University [Washington]
13 Duke University [Durham]
14 ANU - Australian National University
15 University of Colorado [Boulder]
16 Fridtjof Nansen Institute of oceanology
17 University of Vienna [Vienna]
18 Swansea University
19 BNU - Beijing Normal University
20 IHEID - Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement
21 UoN - University of Nairobi
22 Harvard University
23 University of Alberta
2 Department of Geology [Leicester]
3 Scott Polar Research Institute
4 LBNL - Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory [Berkeley]
5 M2C - Morphodynamique Continentale et Côtière
6 Silesian University of Technology
7 UPV/EHU - Universidad del Pais Vasco / Euskal Herriko Unibertsitatea [Espagne]
8 University of Leicester
9 UMBC - University of Maryland [Baltimore County]
10 LEGOS - Laboratoire d'études en Géophysique et océanographie spatiales
11 Freie Universität Berlin
12 GU - Georgetown University [Washington]
13 Duke University [Durham]
14 ANU - Australian National University
15 University of Colorado [Boulder]
16 Fridtjof Nansen Institute of oceanology
17 University of Vienna [Vienna]
18 Swansea University
19 BNU - Beijing Normal University
20 IHEID - Institut de hautes études internationales et du développement
21 UoN - University of Nairobi
22 Harvard University
23 University of Alberta
Jan Zalasiewicz
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 761087
- ORCID : 0000-0002-3220-4855
Clément Poirier
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 11896
- IdHAL : clement-poirier
- ORCID : 0000-0002-8311-8463
- IdRef : 150897480
Agnieszka Gałuszka
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 780829
- ORCID : 0000-0002-2497-2627
Alejandro Cearreta
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 780694
- ORCID : 0000-0003-0100-1454
Catherine Jeandel
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 180660
- IdHAL : catherine-jeandel
- ORCID : 0000-0002-4915-4719
- IdRef : 032679661
Reinhold Leinfelder
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 780695
- ORCID : 0000-0002-4107-2161
- IdRef : 11212724X
Will Steffen
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 779236
- ORCID : 0000-0003-1163-6736
Davor Vidas
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 780638
- ORCID : 0000-0001-8134-7425
Michael Wagreich
- Function : Author
- PersonId : 780696
- ORCID : 0000-0002-8828-0857
Abstract
Humans are undoubtedly altering many geological processes on Earth—and have been for some time. But what is the stratigraphic evidence for officially distinguishing this new human-dominated time period, termed the “Anthropocene,” from the preceding Holocene epoch? Waters et al. review climatic, biological, and geochemical signatures of human activity in sediments and ice cores. Combined with deposits of new materials and radionuclides, as well as human-caused modification of sedimentary processes, the Anthropocene stands alone stratigraphically as a new epoch beginning sometime in the mid–20th century.