Anthropocene最新文献

Lead legacy of pre-industrial activities in lake sediments: The case study of the Lake Accesa (Southern Tuscany, Italy)

IF 3.3 2区地球科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Anthropocene

Pub Date : 2025-02-04 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100464

Francesca Pasquetti , Giovanni Zanchetta , Benoit Caron , Julie Noel , Riccardo Avanzinelli , Boris Vannière , Marc Desmet , Michel Magny , Bernd Wagner , Luisa Dallai , Paolo Fulignati , Monica Bini , Ilaria Baneschi

In recent decades, interest has grown in understanding how pre-industrial activities have contributed to trace metals pollution into the environment at the local and regional scales. Southern Tuscany hosts some of the most important metallogenic provinces in Italy exploited for almost the last three millennia. Studying the history of trace metals pollution in this area offers insights into the temporal and spatial scope of human-environment interactions, evaluates the severity of pollution, and can trace the local natural background values. To explore these aspects, trace metals, major elements, and lead (Pb) isotope ratios were analyzed in an 8000-year sediment records from Lake Accesa, a karst lake located on the southern border of the Colline Metallifere mining district. The findings indicate that Pb in Lake Accesa is mainly related to sulfide polymetallic deposits that surround the lake catchment. The first signal of Pb pollution dates to about 3300 BCE (Before Common Era) during the Copper Age and it is consistent with the archaeological evidence of Southern Tuscany. Additional human-induced Pb pollution signals can be observed in the Bronze Age (∼1550 BCE), and a long phase beginning in the Middle Ages (from ∼700 CE[Common Era]). Between 1000 and 1700 CE, Pb reached the highest concentrations, corroborating the intensity of mining activity during and after the Medieval period. These findings reveal that pre-industrial activities left a significant legacy of potential toxic elements in the environment, resulting in pollution levels that exceed those related to recent activities associated with the Anthropocene. The Lake Accesa record further indicates that mining of sulfide deposits in the Etruscan period was minimal and even completely negligible during Roman times, probably due to the exploitation of other ore deposits.

{"title":"Lead legacy of pre-industrial activities in lake sediments: The case study of the Lake Accesa (Southern Tuscany, Italy)","authors":"Francesca Pasquetti , Giovanni Zanchetta , Benoit Caron , Julie Noel , Riccardo Avanzinelli , Boris Vannière , Marc Desmet , Michel Magny , Bernd Wagner , Luisa Dallai , Paolo Fulignati , Monica Bini , Ilaria Baneschi","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100464","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100464","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In recent decades, interest has grown in understanding how pre-industrial activities have contributed to trace metals pollution into the environment at the local and regional scales. Southern Tuscany hosts some of the most important metallogenic provinces in Italy exploited for almost the last three millennia. Studying the history of trace metals pollution in this area offers insights into the temporal and spatial scope of human-environment interactions, evaluates the severity of pollution, and can trace the local natural background values. To explore these aspects, trace metals, major elements, and lead (Pb) isotope ratios were analyzed in an 8000-year sediment records from Lake Accesa, a karst lake located on the southern border of the Colline Metallifere mining district. The findings indicate that Pb in Lake Accesa is mainly related to sulfide polymetallic deposits that surround the lake catchment. The first signal of Pb pollution dates to about 3300 BCE (Before Common Era) during the Copper Age and it is consistent with the archaeological evidence of Southern Tuscany. Additional human-induced Pb pollution signals can be observed in the Bronze Age (∼1550 BCE), and a long phase beginning in the Middle Ages (from ∼700 CE[Common Era]). Between 1000 and 1700 CE, Pb reached the highest concentrations, corroborating the intensity of mining activity during and after the Medieval period. These findings reveal that pre-industrial activities left a significant legacy of potential toxic elements in the environment, resulting in pollution levels that exceed those related to recent activities associated with the Anthropocene. The Lake Accesa record further indicates that mining of sulfide deposits in the Etruscan period was minimal and even completely negligible during Roman times, probably due to the exploitation of other ore deposits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100464"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143350764","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}

引用次数: 0

Potential for redistribution of DwH-impacted bottom sediments to down-slope depocenters: Eastern Gulf of Mexico

IF 3.3 2区地球科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Anthropocene

Pub Date : 2025-01-27 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100459

G.R. Brooks , R.A. Larson , P.T. Schwing , I.C. Romero , S.H. Bosman , J.C. Chanton , A.R. Diercks

The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DwH) oil spill was responsible for dispersing an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Much was transported rapidly to the seafloor during a sediment pulse, but the ultimate fate of the oiled sediments remains unknown. This study investigates the potential for bottom sediments within the initial DwH impact zone to be mobilized and redeposited in down-slope depocenters. Sediment cores were collected from 31 sites up to 250 km down-slope (SE) of the initial seafloor impact zone to search for evidence of sediment redistribution, and whether the sediment source area(s) included the initial impact zone. Twenty-seven of the 31sites contained sedimentary structures indicative of sediment redistribution, primarily by low density turbidity currents. Other evidence of sediment redistribution includes elevated benthic foraminiferal fracture percentage, rapid and pulsed accumulation rates and the paucity of extensive pelagic deposition. Sediments consist dominantly of siliciclastic muds, with subordinate carbonate sandy muds. The most likely source for siliciclastic muds is the Mississippi River Delta and adjacent continental margin as it is immediately up-slope from the study area. This area includes the DwH seafloor impact zone. DwH oil residues were detected in sediments deposited at different times (post 2010), at 13 core sites, up to 96 km SE of the impact zone, which is consistent with multiple redistribution episodes capable of transporting oiled sediments long distances. Results of this study are not only important for developing mitigation strategies for future contaminant spills, but as sediment redistribution processes can be quite destructive, information regarding process type and frequency can be vital for planning future activities on the sea floor.

{"title":"Potential for redistribution of DwH-impacted bottom sediments to down-slope depocenters: Eastern Gulf of Mexico","authors":"G.R. Brooks , R.A. Larson , P.T. Schwing , I.C. Romero , S.H. Bosman , J.C. Chanton , A.R. Diercks","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100459","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100459","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The 2010 Deepwater Horizon (DwH) oil spill was responsible for dispersing an estimated 4.9 million barrels of oil into the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. Much was transported rapidly to the seafloor during a sediment pulse, but the ultimate fate of the oiled sediments remains unknown. This study investigates the potential for bottom sediments within the initial DwH impact zone to be mobilized and redeposited in down-slope depocenters. Sediment cores were collected from 31 sites up to 250 km down-slope (SE) of the initial seafloor impact zone to search for evidence of sediment redistribution, and whether the sediment source area(s) included the initial impact zone. Twenty-seven of the 31sites contained sedimentary structures indicative of sediment redistribution, primarily by low density turbidity currents. Other evidence of sediment redistribution includes elevated benthic foraminiferal fracture percentage, rapid and pulsed accumulation rates and the paucity of extensive pelagic deposition. Sediments consist dominantly of siliciclastic muds, with subordinate carbonate sandy muds. The most likely source for siliciclastic muds is the Mississippi River Delta and adjacent continental margin as it is immediately up-slope from the study area. This area includes the DwH seafloor impact zone. DwH oil residues were detected in sediments deposited at different times (post 2010), at 13 core sites, up to 96 km SE of the impact zone, which is consistent with multiple redistribution episodes capable of transporting oiled sediments long distances. Results of this study are not only important for developing mitigation strategies for future contaminant spills, but as sediment redistribution processes can be quite destructive, information regarding process type and frequency can be vital for planning future activities on the sea floor.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100459"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143177118","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}

引用次数: 0

Mining tailings severely impact plant communities in a rainforest watershed

IF 3.3 2区地球科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Anthropocene

Pub Date : 2025-01-22 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100462

G. Wilson Fernandes , Letícia Ramos , Wénita de Souza Justino , Walisson Kenedy-Siqueira , João Carlos Gomes Figueiredo , Yumi Oki , Fernando Figueiredo Goulart , Rubens Manoel dos Santos , João Herbert Moreira Viana , Yule Roberta Ferreira Nunes , Ramiro Aguilar , Lourens Poorter , Masha T. van der Sande , Daniel Negreiros

The collapse of a mining tailings dam in 2015 drastically affected a large area of an already threatened Atlantic Forest along the Rio Doce in Brazil. We evaluated the interactions between edaphic and floristic factors in impacted and reference sites to understand how the impact of the tailings affected the riparian plant communities along the river. The species richness of the adult and sapling strata was, respectively, 46.4 % and 61.5 % lower in the impacted sites relative to the reference sites. A similar pattern was observed for both species and phylogenetic diversity. We also recorded large changes in species composition in the adult and sapling strata in impacted sites relative to the reference sites along the river. These negative changes in the plant community were correlated with drastic increases in soil iron and phosphorus concentration, and fine sand proportion, and decreases in the proportion of carbon and coarse sand in the sites impacted by the mining tailings. We observed a close relationship between plant composition in both the adult and sapling strata with edaphic factors. The alterations in species composition triggered by the deposition of mining tailings may induce significant shifts in ecosystems, potentially prompting numerous tipping points throughout the river basin, as indicated by the different sapling species, some of which are invasive species of highly difficult eradication. These altered forests might suffer from impoverishment, dominated by a limited species set, some of which could expand its distribution upon neighboring, already threatened, regions. Such expansion could exacerbate the degradation of the Rio Doce watershed to a point of no return to the previous condition.

{"title":"Mining tailings severely impact plant communities in a rainforest watershed","authors":"G. Wilson Fernandes , Letícia Ramos , Wénita de Souza Justino , Walisson Kenedy-Siqueira , João Carlos Gomes Figueiredo , Yumi Oki , Fernando Figueiredo Goulart , Rubens Manoel dos Santos , João Herbert Moreira Viana , Yule Roberta Ferreira Nunes , Ramiro Aguilar , Lourens Poorter , Masha T. van der Sande , Daniel Negreiros","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100462","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100462","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The collapse of a mining tailings dam in 2015 drastically affected a large area of an already threatened Atlantic Forest along the Rio Doce in Brazil. We evaluated the interactions between edaphic and floristic factors in impacted and reference sites to understand how the impact of the tailings affected the riparian plant communities along the river. The species richness of the adult and sapling strata was, respectively, 46.4 % and 61.5 % lower in the impacted sites relative to the reference sites. A similar pattern was observed for both species and phylogenetic diversity. We also recorded large changes in species composition in the adult and sapling strata in impacted sites relative to the reference sites along the river. These negative changes in the plant community were correlated with drastic increases in soil iron and phosphorus concentration, and fine sand proportion, and decreases in the proportion of carbon and coarse sand in the sites impacted by the mining tailings. We observed a close relationship between plant composition in both the adult and sapling strata with edaphic factors. The alterations in species composition triggered by the deposition of mining tailings may induce significant shifts in ecosystems, potentially prompting numerous tipping points throughout the river basin, as indicated by the different sapling species, some of which are invasive species of highly difficult eradication. These altered forests might suffer from impoverishment, dominated by a limited species set, some of which could expand its distribution upon neighboring, already threatened, regions. Such expansion could exacerbate the degradation of the Rio Doce watershed to a point of no return to the previous condition.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100462"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143177075","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}

引用次数: 0

Effect of nutrient enrichment and climate change on historical changes of the cyanobacterial community in a shallow north temperate lake in China

IF 3.3 2区地球科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Anthropocene

Pub Date : 2025-01-22 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100460

Danmin Li , Yujie Si , Xiaomeng Yan , Giri Kattel , Xianjiang Kang , Bo Liu

Quantitative ecological reconstructions in lakes can be potentially significant for providing long-term environmental records and the information generated would become invaluable source for comprehensive understanding of the effects of human disturbances and climate change on lake ecosystem. Our aim is to explore the drivers of historical changes of the cyanobacterial community in a shallow temperate freshwater system, Baiyangdian Lake Complex (BLC), in northern China. We used a multi-proxy approach (e.g., sedimentary DNA, subfossil diatom assemblages) to establish the historical changes of the cyanobacterial community in BLC over different stages as accurately as possible. At Stage 1 (∼1902–2012), the cyanobacterial co-occurrence network analysis revealed more complex interactions among different genera than at Stage 2 (∼2012–2021) in all three sampling sites. The reconstructed cyanobacterial community correlated well with changes of the sedimentary diatom species composition, geochemical indices and historically documented events in the watershed. The cyanobacterial abundance in two advanced hydrologically-connected sampling sites (Shaochedian, Caiputai) was mainly regulated by the dynamics of TP and TN, while the other relatively weak hydrologically-connected site (Zaozhadian) was regulated by precipitation. Therefore, a reduction in nutrient inputs is still the most prudent option to avoid risk of the outbreak of cyanobacterial blooms in BLC. Meanwhile, intact hydrological connectivity within the wetland complex is also essential to reduce pollution and cyanobacterial blooms through mixing and flushing. Although the fate of cyanobacterial blooms in BLC has been greatly reduced over the recent time, resource managers should not only adopt conventional approaches (e.g., nutrient control) but also incorporate a landscape scale limnological-based monitoring approaches to resolve the long-lasting cyanobacterial bloom problem induced by coupled human and climate change disturbances.

{"title":"Effect of nutrient enrichment and climate change on historical changes of the cyanobacterial community in a shallow north temperate lake in China","authors":"Danmin Li , Yujie Si , Xiaomeng Yan , Giri Kattel , Xianjiang Kang , Bo Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100460","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100460","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Quantitative ecological reconstructions in lakes can be potentially significant for providing long-term environmental records and the information generated would become invaluable source for comprehensive understanding of the effects of human disturbances and climate change on lake ecosystem. Our aim is to explore the drivers of historical changes of the cyanobacterial community in a shallow temperate freshwater system, Baiyangdian Lake Complex (BLC), in northern China. We used a multi-proxy approach (e.g., sedimentary DNA, subfossil diatom assemblages) to establish the historical changes of the cyanobacterial community in BLC over different stages as accurately as possible. At Stage 1 (∼1902–2012), the cyanobacterial co-occurrence network analysis revealed more complex interactions among different genera than at Stage 2 (∼2012–2021) in all three sampling sites. The reconstructed cyanobacterial community correlated well with changes of the sedimentary diatom species composition, geochemical indices and historically documented events in the watershed. The cyanobacterial abundance in two advanced hydrologically-connected sampling sites (Shaochedian, Caiputai) was mainly regulated by the dynamics of TP and TN, while the other relatively weak hydrologically-connected site (Zaozhadian) was regulated by precipitation. Therefore, a reduction in nutrient inputs is still the most prudent option to avoid risk of the outbreak of cyanobacterial blooms in BLC. Meanwhile, intact hydrological connectivity within the wetland complex is also essential to reduce pollution and cyanobacterial blooms through mixing and flushing. Although the fate of cyanobacterial blooms in BLC has been greatly reduced over the recent time, resource managers should not only adopt conventional approaches (e.g., nutrient control) but also incorporate a landscape scale limnological-based monitoring approaches to resolve the long-lasting cyanobacterial bloom problem induced by coupled human and climate change disturbances.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100460"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143177117","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}

引用次数: 0

Human versus climate interactions on riverine flood characteristics in the largest Indian Peninsular basin

IF 3.3 2区地球科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Anthropocene

Pub Date : 2025-01-22 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100463

Shreejit Pandey , Somil Swarnkar , Vikas Poonia , Soumya Kundu , Meghomala Ghosal

Globally, over one in five people face 100-year flood risk, particularly in low-income regions. Flood risk is rising, especially in densely populated developing economies and areas with extreme meteorological conditions. Floods cause significant economic and health impacts, highlighting the urgent need for flood-resistant communities and preparedness. Policymakers must understand the regional and temporal distributions of flood risk to develop effective prevention and mitigation strategies. Human activities, such as dams and reservoir operations, have been shown to reduce flood intensity in many areas, though their impact varies by geography and purpose. This study investigates flood dynamics in the Godavari basin, the largest river basin in the Indian peninsula, significantly affected by large-scale dams and reservoirs. Using the Peaks Over Threshold (POT) method, generalized Pareto distribution (GPD), and CUSUM time series analysis, we analyzed flood characteristics such as peak, volume, and duration. Our results reveal that the east-central (Wainganga sub-basin) and eastern (Indravati and Sabari sub-basins) regions are major contributors to increased flood volume, peak, and duration in downstream areas. In contrast, the western and west-central Godavari regions, characterized by numerous dams, experience smaller flood volumes, peaks, and durations due to dam operations and moderate climatic conditions. However, undammed regions in the east-central and eastern Godavari, lacking flood control infrastructure and experiencing severe climatic conditions, face large-scale floods with high risk. These findings offer critical insights into regional flood characteristics and factors, supporting the development of effective flood management strategies for the Godavari basin.

{"title":"Human versus climate interactions on riverine flood characteristics in the largest Indian Peninsular basin","authors":"Shreejit Pandey , Somil Swarnkar , Vikas Poonia , Soumya Kundu , Meghomala Ghosal","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100463","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100463","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Globally, over one in five people face 100-year flood risk, particularly in low-income regions. Flood risk is rising, especially in densely populated developing economies and areas with extreme meteorological conditions. Floods cause significant economic and health impacts, highlighting the urgent need for flood-resistant communities and preparedness. Policymakers must understand the regional and temporal distributions of flood risk to develop effective prevention and mitigation strategies. Human activities, such as dams and reservoir operations, have been shown to reduce flood intensity in many areas, though their impact varies by geography and purpose. This study investigates flood dynamics in the Godavari basin, the largest river basin in the Indian peninsula, significantly affected by large-scale dams and reservoirs. Using the Peaks Over Threshold (POT) method, generalized Pareto distribution (GPD), and CUSUM time series analysis, we analyzed flood characteristics such as peak, volume, and duration. Our results reveal that the east-central (Wainganga sub-basin) and eastern (Indravati and Sabari sub-basins) regions are major contributors to increased flood volume, peak, and duration in downstream areas. In contrast, the western and west-central Godavari regions, characterized by numerous dams, experience smaller flood volumes, peaks, and durations due to dam operations and moderate climatic conditions. However, undammed regions in the east-central and eastern Godavari, lacking flood control infrastructure and experiencing severe climatic conditions, face large-scale floods with high risk. These findings offer critical insights into regional flood characteristics and factors, supporting the development of effective flood management strategies for the Godavari basin.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100463"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143176873","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}

引用次数: 0

Macroplastic colonization by macroinvertebrates in a Mediterranean wetland: A biodiversity enrichment opportunity

IF 3.3 2区地球科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Anthropocene

Pub Date : 2025-01-20 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100461

Davide Taurozzi , Giulia Cesarini , Massimiliano Scalici

Coastal wetlands are sensitive ecological systems that provide crucial ecosystem services, but often affected by anthropogenic pollutants. Plastics, in particular, represent a threat to the survival and fitness of many aquatic species. In fact, once plastics are released into freshwater environments, they can result in critical threats for fitness and survival of many aquatic organisms. Among these, macroinvertebrates represent a sensitive bioindicator for evaluating the environmental impacts of plastics. In this context, we investigated the colonization of virgin macroplastic substrates composed of two different polymers and located at two different depths in a protected wetland in Central Italy over a period of 10 months. The results show the tendency of macroinvertebrates to colonize plastic substrates artificially placed in water. Our findings highlight that macroinvertebrates mainly colonize polystyrene substrates over than polyethylene terephthalate ones. Moreover, floating substrates show a greater number of taxa found than dipped ones, highlighting that depth is also an important factor to discriminate the colonization of macroinvertebrates on plastic substrates. Furthermore, an ecologically diversified community emerged, in which there are mostly univoltine organisms, with dimensions between 5 and 20 mm, predators, choppers and scrapers that feed on plant organisms and animals. Consequently, plastic substrates might increase biodiversity in polluted waters by offering new surfaces for colonization. Overall, further studies are needed to determine whether the presence of plastic litter could also support the establishment of a macroinvertebrate community comprising taxa that exploit different ecological niches.

{"title":"Macroplastic colonization by macroinvertebrates in a Mediterranean wetland: A biodiversity enrichment opportunity","authors":"Davide Taurozzi , Giulia Cesarini , Massimiliano Scalici","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100461","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2025.100461","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Coastal wetlands are sensitive ecological systems that provide crucial ecosystem services, but often affected by anthropogenic pollutants. Plastics, in particular, represent a threat to the survival and fitness of many aquatic species. In fact, once plastics are released into freshwater environments, they can result in critical threats for fitness and survival of many aquatic organisms. Among these, macroinvertebrates represent a sensitive bioindicator for evaluating the environmental impacts of plastics. In this context, we investigated the colonization of virgin macroplastic substrates composed of two different polymers and located at two different depths in a protected wetland in Central Italy over a period of 10 months. The results show the tendency of macroinvertebrates to colonize plastic substrates artificially placed in water. Our findings highlight that macroinvertebrates mainly colonize polystyrene substrates over than polyethylene terephthalate ones. Moreover, floating substrates show a greater number of taxa found than dipped ones, highlighting that depth is also an important factor to discriminate the colonization of macroinvertebrates on plastic substrates. Furthermore, an ecologically diversified community emerged, in which there are mostly univoltine organisms, with dimensions between 5 and 20 mm, predators, choppers and scrapers that feed on plant organisms and animals. Consequently, plastic substrates might increase biodiversity in polluted waters by offering new surfaces for colonization. Overall, further studies are needed to determine whether the presence of plastic litter could also support the establishment of a macroinvertebrate community comprising taxa that exploit different ecological niches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100461"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2025-01-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143177116","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}

引用次数: 0

Natural and anthropogenic processes and landforms in the eastern sector of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina (from Pleistocene to Anthropocene)

IF 3.3 2区地球科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Anthropocene

Pub Date : 2024-12-16 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100457

Mariel Samanta Luengo , Gabriela D'Amico , Nicole Pommarés , Enrique Fucks

The aim of this work is to analyze landscape-shaping processes in the Pampean plain, eastern sector of the Buenos Aires province, reconstructing the geomorphic evolution from the Late Pleistocene to the Anthropocene. For this purpose, a geomorphological analysis was carried out through the use of satellite images, topographic maps and field work. In this study, natural and anthropogenic processes are addressed in an integrative manner, considering both temporal and spatial scales. The geomorphic characteristics show the preponderance of coastal and aeolian processes over other exogenous processes. The emergence of two littoral barriers, the Samborombón Barrier (SB) and the Easter Sandy Barrier (ESB), has significantly influenced regional geomorphology, showing evidence of Quaternary sea-level fluctuations. Over time, human settlements were strategically located on elevated landforms of the Pampean plain, rich in resources. Since the late 19th century, human activity has rapidly transformed the landscape, especially altering the hydric system, marshes, beaches, dunes and littoral ridges. These processes also generated human-created landforms, such as channels, quarries, alluvial fans, among others. This study provides a regional context for future research, fostering the formulation of hypotheses to better comprehend the evolving dynamics of these environments.

{"title":"Natural and anthropogenic processes and landforms in the eastern sector of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina (from Pleistocene to Anthropocene)","authors":"Mariel Samanta Luengo , Gabriela D'Amico , Nicole Pommarés , Enrique Fucks","doi":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100457","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100457","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this work is to analyze landscape-shaping processes in the Pampean plain, eastern sector of the Buenos Aires province, reconstructing the geomorphic evolution from the Late Pleistocene to the Anthropocene. For this purpose, a geomorphological analysis was carried out through the use of satellite images, topographic maps and field work. In this study, natural and anthropogenic processes are addressed in an integrative manner, considering both temporal and spatial scales. The geomorphic characteristics show the preponderance of coastal and aeolian processes over other exogenous processes. The emergence of two littoral barriers, the Samborombón Barrier (SB) and the Easter Sandy Barrier (ESB), has significantly influenced regional geomorphology, showing evidence of Quaternary sea-level fluctuations. Over time, human settlements were strategically located on elevated landforms of the Pampean plain, rich in resources. Since the late 19th century, human activity has rapidly transformed the landscape, especially altering the hydric system, marshes, beaches, dunes and littoral ridges. These processes also generated human-created landforms, such as channels, quarries, alluvial fans, among others. This study provides a regional context for future research, fostering the formulation of hypotheses to better comprehend the evolving dynamics of these environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56021,"journal":{"name":"Anthropocene","volume":"49 ","pages":"Article 100457"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143177077","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}

引用次数: 0

Patagonia's Late Holocene lake sediments reveal no major black carbon sources for Antarctica

IF 3.3 2区地球科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Anthropocene

Pub Date : 2024-12-11 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100458

Sandra O. Camara-Brugger , David B. McWethy , Nathan J. Chellman , Oliver Heiri , Andrés Holz , Kyla Zaret , Joseph R. McConnell

Black carbon from biomass and fossil fuel burning is an important aerosol in the climate system. Understanding its historical variation is crucial to constrain current anthropogenic and wildfire impacts on the atmosphere. Patagonia was proposed previously as a major source region for the late 13^th century black carbon increase observed in an ice core from the northern Antarctic Peninsula but not in continental Antarctic ice cores. Here, we reconstruct regional black carbon trends using high-resolution measurements of refractory black carbon (rBC) in two Patagonian lake-sediment cores spanning the last two millennia and compare the results with other records of fire activity in the region. Our new rBC reconstruction, which is consistent with macroscopic charcoal data from the same sites as well as regional charcoal data, indicates low fire activity in this region of Patagonia over the past 2000 years, with no major, long-lasting and systematic increase from the 13^th century onwards that goes significantly beyond values detected earlier in these records. The consistently low rBC deposition at these sites suggests that Patagonian emissions did not contribute to the observed late 13^th century rBC increases in ice cores from the Antarctic Peninsula. Moreover, the low amounts of rBC deposition throughout the Industrial Period suggests that Patagonian rBC records primarily reflect emissions from regional biomass burning and not fossil fuel combustion.

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引用次数: 0

Corrigendum to “20th century climate warming and human disturbance triggered high aquatic production and strong water-column mixing in maar Lake Xiaolongwan, northeastern China” [Anthropocene 47 (2024) 100442]

IF 3.3 2区地球科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Anthropocene

Pub Date : 2024-12-01 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100456

Luyao Tu , Hongpan Xue , Xin Zhou , Xuanqiao Liu , Paul D. Zander , Tao Huang , Lize Meng , Wangyang Kan , Changchun Huang , Martin Grosjean

引用次数: 0

Adapt research to the Anthropocene 使研究适应人类世

IF 3.3 2区地球科学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Anthropocene

Pub Date : 2024-10-30 DOI: 10.1016/j.ancene.2024.100455

Stefanie Christmann

Scientists measure how humans’ footprints deteriorate the global environment and our life, but neither monitoring nor technical solutions bend the curves. Homo sapiens is the dominating species of the Anthropocene. Should we re-focus research and explore potential transformation of the command centers of overexploitation: people's minds? The most important challenge for research in the Anthropocene is transformation of humans and their political and economic entities to respect the planet’s boundaries. Non-adapted research can mislead policies. On the example of two crucial risks, pollinator loss and climate change, the manuscript compares state-of-the-art research and what is needed. The examples show the necessary scope and depth of transformation. How to give more room for divergent intelligence, creativity and criticality in scientific and educational environments? The research sector must decide to either transform humans’ minds towards planetary responsible political performance or accept that AIscene might follow the Anthropocene and adapt humans to earth.

科学家们测量了人类的足迹是如何恶化全球环境和我们的生活的，但无论是监测还是技术解决方案都无法使曲线弯曲。智人是人类世的主要物种。我们是否应该重新调整研究重点，探索改变过度开发的指挥中心--人们的思想--的可能性？人类世研究面临的最重要挑战是改造人类及其政治和经济实体，使其尊重地球的边界。不适应的研究会误导政策。手稿以授粉者丧失和气候变化这两大关键风险为例，比较了最先进的研究和所需的研究。这些例子显示了转型所需的广度和深度。如何在科学和教育环境中为多元智能、创造性和批判性提供更多空间？研究部门必须做出决定，要么转变人类的思想，使其对地球负责，要么接受人工智能世界可能会追随人类世并使人类适应地球。

引用次数: 0