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Stratigraphic and Earth System approaches to defining the Anthropocene

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journal contribution
posted on 2016-11-21, 16:45 authored by W. Steffen, R. Leinfelder, J. Zalasiewicz, C. N. Waters, Mark Williams, C. Summerhayes, A. D. Barnosky, A. Cearreta, P. Crutzen, Matt Edgeworth, E. C. Ellis, I. J. Fairchild, A. Galuszka, J. Grinevald, A. Haywood, J. Ivar do Sul, C. Jeandel, J. R. McNeill, E. Odada, N. Oreskes, A. Revkin, D. D. B. Richter, J. Syvitski, D. Vidas, M. Wagreich, S. L. Wing, A. P. Wolfe, H. J. Schellnhuber
Stratigraphy provides insights into the evolution and dynamics of the Earth System over its long history. With recent developments in Earth System science, changes in Earth System dynamics can now be observed directly and projected into the near future. An integration of the two approaches provides powerful insights into the nature and significance of contemporary changes to Earth. From both perspectives, the Earth has been pushed out of the Holocene Epoch by human activities, with the mid-20th century a strong candidate for the start date of the Anthropocene, the proposed new epoch in Earth history. Here we explore two contrasting scenarios for the future of the Anthropocene, recognizing that the Earth System has already undergone a substantial transition away from the Holocene state. A rapid shift of societies toward the UN Sustainable Development Goals could stabilize the Earth System in a state with more intense interglacial conditions than in the late Quaternary climate regime and with little further biospheric change. In contrast, a continuation of the present Anthropocene trajectory of growing human pressures will likely lead to biotic impoverishment and a much warmer climate with a significant loss of polar ice.

History

Citation

Earth's Future, 2016, 4 (8), pp. 324-345

Author affiliation

/Organisation/COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING/Department of Geology

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Published in

Earth's Future

Publisher

Wiley, American Geophysical Union (AGU)

eissn

2328-4277

Acceptance date

2016-07-15

Copyright date

2016

Available date

2016-11-21

Publisher version

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/2016EF000379/abstract

Language

en

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