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      Defining the Anthropocene

      Author(s):   ,  
      Publication date (Electronic):
      Journal: Nature
      Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC

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          Abstract

          Time is divided by geologists according to marked shifts in Earth's state. Recent global environmental changes suggest that Earth may have entered a new human-dominated geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Here we review the historical genesis of the idea and assess anthropogenic signatures in the geological record against the formal requirements for the recognition of a new epoch. The evidence suggests that of the various proposed dates two do appear to conform to the criteria to mark the beginning of the Anthropocene: 1610 and 1964. The formal establishment of an Anthropocene Epoch would mark a fundamental change in the relationship between humans and the Earth system.

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          Has the Earth's sixth mass extinction already arrived?

          Anthony D. Barnosky, Nicholas Matzke, Susumu Tomiya … (2011)
          Palaeontologists characterize mass extinctions as times when the Earth loses more than three-quarters of its species in a geologically short interval, as has happened only five times in the past 540 million years or so. Biologists now suggest that a sixth mass extinction may be under way, given the known species losses over the past few centuries and millennia. Here we review how differences between fossil and modern data and the addition of recently available palaeontological information influence our understanding of the current extinction crisis. Our results confirm that current extinction rates are higher than would be expected from the fossil record, highlighting the need for effective conservation measures.
          Article 0 comments Cited 516 times – based on 0 reviews     Review now
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            The trajectory of the Anthropocene: The Great Acceleration

            W. Steffen, W. Broadgate, L. Deutsch … (2015)
            Article 0 comments Cited 379 times – based on 0 reviews     Review now
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              The evolution and future of Earth's nitrogen cycle.

              Donald Canfield, Alexander Glazer, Paul G Falkowski (2010)
              Atmospheric reactions and slow geological processes controlled Earth's earliest nitrogen cycle, and by ~2.7 billion years ago, a linked suite of microbial processes evolved to form the modern nitrogen cycle with robust natural feedbacks and controls. Over the past century, however, the development of new agricultural practices to satisfy a growing global demand for food has drastically disrupted the nitrogen cycle. This has led to extensive eutrophication of fresh waters and coastal zones as well as increased inventories of the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide (N(2)O). Microbial processes will ultimately restore balance to the nitrogen cycle, but the damage done by humans to the nitrogen economy of the planet will persist for decades, possibly centuries, if active intervention and careful management strategies are not initiated.
              Article 0 comments Cited 307 times – based on 0 reviews     Review now
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Title: Nature
                Abbreviated Title: Nature
                Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
                ISSN (Print): 0028-0836
                ISSN (Electronic): 1476-4687
                Publication date Created: March 2015
                Publication date (Electronic): March 11 2015
                Publication date (Print): March 2015
                Volume: 519
                Issue: 7542
                Pages: 171-180
                Article
                DOI: 10.1038/nature14258
                PubMed ID: 25762280
                SO-VID: 6bc31826-8c2a-4635-93aa-3aa65cefdcc0
                Copyright © © 2015
                License:

                http://www.springer.com/tdm

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