Anthropogenic soils are the golden spikes for the Anthropocene

Certini, Giacomo; Scalenghe, Riccardo

doi:10.1177/0959683611408454

Cited by 182 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…Barnosky, 2008;Ellis et al, 2012), marine microbiotic change as a consequence of land use changes as early as 3700 BP (Wilkinson et al, 2014) and, partly related to this, a hypothesis that early agriculture altered carbon dioxide levels sufficiently (raising them from 260 to 280 ppm over several thousand years : Ruddiman, 2003: Ruddiman, , 2013 to maintain stable Holocene warmth and prevent or delay the transition into the next glacial phase. This has led to support for an 'early Anthropocene' concept; the positioning of a boundary has been suggested as, for instance, the base of a widespread European soil layer formed about 2000 years BP (Certini and Scalenghe, 2011). Reaching yet farther back in time, the Late Pleistocene extinctions of large mammals represent a significant biotic perturbation, with potential wider consequences to vegetation and to the global carbon cycle (Doughty et al, 2010).…”

Section: Three Potential Durations For the Anthropocenementioning

confidence: 99%

When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal

Zalasiewicz

Waters

Williams

et al. 2015

Quaternary International

602

326

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We evaluate the boundary of the Anthropocene geological time interval as an epoch, since it is useful to have a consistent temporal definition for this increasingly used unit, whether the presently informal term is eventually formalized or not. Of the three main levels suggested - an 'early Anthropocene' level some thousands of years ago; the beginning of the Industrial Revolution at similar to 1800 CE (Common Era); and the 'Great Acceleration' of the mid-twentieth century - current evidence suggests that the last of these has the most pronounced and globally synchronous signal. A boundary at this time need not have a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP or 'golden spike') but can be defined by a Global Standard Stratigraphic Age (GSSA), i.e. a point in time of the human calendar. We propose an appropriate boundary level here to be the time of the world's first nuclear bomb explosion, on July 16th 1945 at Alamogordo, New Mexico; additional bombs were detonated at the average rate of one every 9.6 days until 1988 with attendant worldwide fallout easily identifiable in the chemostratigraphic record. Hence, Anthropocene deposits would be those that may include the globally distributed primary artificial radionuclide signal, while also being recognized using a wide range of other stratigraphic criteria. This suggestion for the Holocene-Anthropocene boundary may ultimately be superseded, as the Anthropocene is only in its early phases, but it should remain practical and effective for use by at least the current generation of scientists. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd and INQUA

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Section: Three Potential Durations For the Anthropocenementioning

confidence: 99%

When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal

Zalasiewicz

Waters

Williams

et al. 2015

Quaternary International

602

326

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“…An ∼8,500-year multiproxy paleoecological reconstruction spans the history of human occupation at Lake Caranã, documenting the impact of pre-Columbian subsistence strategies and fire management and the formation of Amazonian Dark Earth soils (ADEs) on forest composition, structure, and flammability. Although the onset of agriculture or the formation of anthropogenic soils may not ultimately be the "golden spike" of the Anthropocene epoch (Certini and Scalenghe, 2011), a better understanding of the progressive intensification of past human land use and fire management practices will help to contextualize when humans began to dominate ecosystems in key regions such as the Amazon Basin.…”

Section: Contextualizing Past Human Land Use and Fire Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

New Insights From Pre-Columbian Land Use and Fire Management in Amazonian Dark Earth Forests

et al. 2018

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Anthropogenic climate change driven by increased carbon emissions is leading to more severe fire seasons and increasing the frequency of mega-fires in the Amazon. This has the potential to convert Amazon forests from net carbon sinks to net carbon sources. Although modern human influence over the Earth is substantial, debate remains over when humans began to dominate Earth's natural systems. To date, little is known about the history of human land use in key regions like the Amazon. Here, we examine the history of human occupation from a ∼8,500 year-old sediment core record from Lake Caranã (LC) in the eastern Amazon. The onset of pre-Columbian activity at LC (∼4,500 cal yr B.P.) is associated with the beginning of fire management and crop cultivation, later followed by the formation of Amazonian Dark Earth soils (ADEs) ∼2,000 cal yr B.P. Selective forest enrichment of edible plants and low-severity fire activity altered the composition and structure of forests growing on ADEs (ADE forests) making them more drought susceptible and fire-prone. Following European colonization (1661 A.D.), the Amazon rubber boom (mid-1800s to 1920 A.D.) is associated with record-low fire activity despite drier regional climate, indicating fire exclusion. The formation of FLONA Reserve in 1974 A.D. is accompanied by the relocation of traditional populations and a fire suppression policy. Despite suppression efforts, biomass burning and fire severity in the past decade is higher than any other period in the record. This is attributed to combined climate and human factors which create optimal conditions for mega-fires in ADE forests and threatens to transform the Amazon from a net carbon sink to a net carbon source. To help mitigate the occurrence of mega-fires, a fire management policy reducing fire-use and careful fire management for farming may help to reduce fuel loads and the occurrence of mega-fires in fire-prone ADE forests. As both natural and anthropogenic pressures are projected to increase in the Amazon, this study provides valuable insights into the legacy of past human land use on modern ADE forest composition, structure, and flammability that can inform ecological benchmarks and future management efforts in the eastern Amazon.

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“…16,000 years ago); domestication of plants and animals, with the earliest onset in the Near East placed at ~12,000 years ago (e.g., Vigne, 2011;Zohary et al, 2012;Smith & Zeder, 2013), or perhaps, even as early as 23,000 years ago for plants (Snir et al, 2015); development of anthropogenic soils ~2,000 years ago, (Certini & Scalenghe, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Paleo-Anthropocene and the Genesis of the Current Landscape of Israel

Ackermann

Maeir

Frumin

et al. 2017

Journal of Landscape Ecology

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Worldwide, human impact on natural landscapes has intensified since prehistoric times, and this is well documented in the global archaeological record. The period between the earliest hominids and the Industrial Revolution of the late 18-19 th centuries is known as the Paleo-Anthropocene. The current study reviews key geoarchaeological, floral and faunal factors of the Paleo-Anthropocene in Israel, an area that has undergone human activities in various intensities since prehistoric times. It discusses significant human imprints on these three features in the Israeli landscape, demonstrating that its current form is almost entirely anthropogenic. Moreover, some of the past physical changes still dynamically shape Israel's zoological, archaeological and geomorphic landscape today. It is hoped that insights from this article might aid in guiding present-day management strategies of undeveloped areas through renewal of human activity guided by traditional knowledge.

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Anthropogenic soils are the golden spikes for the Anthropocene

Cited by 182 publications

References 48 publications

When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal

When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal

New Insights From Pre-Columbian Land Use and Fire Management in Amazonian Dark Earth Forests

The Paleo-Anthropocene and the Genesis of the Current Landscape of Israel

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