Anthropocene最新文献

In mountainous regions, avalanches can seriously damage tourist infrastructure, roads, and forests and lead to loss of human life. The analyses were performed in the Făgăraş Mountains, Southern Carpathians-Romania. This study addresses the following questions: How does risk differ over time depending on the snow avalanche activity? (ii) How reliable are complementary, statistical, and dendrogeomorphological approaches for analysing the avalanche activity? Our analysis was based on extensive documentation, using old photographs, maps, papers and database statistics. We also utilized dendrogeomorphological data, satellite images and event simulations using the RAMMS avalanche module. The study data was collected between 1880 and 2020, in three different periods, each with socioeconomic peculiarities: the Romanian Kingdom Period, communist period, and post-communist period. In the first period, the tourist infrastructure was modest and the avalanche hazard was not recognized. Only three avalanche accidents were recorded. In the communist period, 25 avalanche accidents were recorded. In the postcommunist period, 75 avalanche accidents were recorded. Avalanche activity strongly interfered with the emergence of new elements of tourist infrastructure, such as huts, alpine refuges, and the Transfăgărăşan highway. Our results show that despite protection measures, avalanche risk awareness information, use of the European risk scale, and the issuing of danger bulletins, especially in the last 20 years, the risk has remained high due to increased exposure and vulnerability of tourist infrastructure and tourists.

Socio-ecological research enlists inter- and transdisciplinarity to address complex environmental issues. Yet the “socio-ecological system” concept can be interpreted in many different ways. A characterization of the diverse practices in socio-ecological research could facilitate dialogue between researchers about the possible conceptual and ethical approaches. In this study, we investigated if a detailed analysis of scientific articles would reveal the nature and course of a socio-ecological research network, and the research angle of its members. The example we used was the Rhône River Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) platform in France. We combined a multivariate analysis of a reading grid of publications by Rhône River LTSER researchers and a textual analysis of the scientific narratives. The publications were from a 10-year period and corresponded to those used in a recent international comparative analysis of LTSER platforms. The analysis revealed that the research was dominated by a biophysical approach, with a progressive increase in social aspects. The emergence of a transdisciplinary approach, co-constructed with operational partners, was also shown. The research conducted by the Rhône River LTSER was grounded in the context of managing a river with strong anthropic influences and interests, and the scientific approach aimed to provide knowledge for guiding decisions. Little referencfte was made in the publications to socio-ecological conceptual frameworks. Beyond the example of this LTSER platform, we identified indicators for describing the degree of inter- and transdisciplinarity and the different perceptions of socio-ecological systems. The narrative analysis revealed the angle of the research approach; this method could be used in future studies for a comparison of the diverse approaches of multiple research groups.

Mitigation and adaptation coping with the adverse effects of climate change are crucially important in managing the risk. Research on climate mitigation and adaptation serves as the foundational pillar upon which resilient strategies are constructed. By examining 1835 journal articles indexed by Scopus, geographic patterns of research efforts and collaborations on mitigation and adaptation to climate changes and risks merge out. Research efforts are predominantly from Western countries but depict an uneven intensity. Whereas international collaboration concerns primarily developed countries in North America and Europe, recent research bridging activities with developing countries in Asia and Africa are growing.

This paper investigates the utilization of satellite imagery archives in the northeastern Nile Delta to examine and explore the evolution of archaeological landscapes. The study incorporates optical satellite imagery from multiple sensors, including Landsat, ASTER, and CORONA, in addition to historical topographic maps, and digital elevation data. The methodology involves employing Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm, spatial analysis, and analyzing vegetation indices. The findings reveal significant landscape changes during the period from the prehistoric to the Byzantine era, influenced by natural factors such as sea level changes and land subsidence. Moreover, the landscape changed after the construction of the Aswan High Dam, influenced by human activities such as agriculture and urbanization. The study was successful in detecting the remains of the Tanitic branch, an ancient branch of the Nile River. Additionally, the analysis of vegetation indices showed crop anomalies, which may be indicative of buried structures. However, further investigations, including ground surveys and excavations, are needed for validation. The research contributes to the understanding of the region's historical and cultural significance, highlights the impact of human activities on archaeological sites, and underscores the importance of preserving cultural heritage in the face of environmental changes and urban development.

Climate change will impact crop production in Western Canada by modifying growing season conditions. Precipitation pattern changes and warmer temperatures will pose significant risks to crops. Studies have shown that multivariable agroclimatic indices can enhance climatic impact assessment on crop production. This study uses multivariable agroclimatic indices to assess how climate change may impact crop production in western Canada by the end of the 21st century. We use convection-permitting regional climate simulations for the current (CTL) and future climate under the Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5 scenario (RCP8.5) scenario based on the pseudo-global warming (PGW) approach to assess the impact of the climate on growing season indices. CTL and PGW are bias-corrected to the Global Environmental Multiscale (GEM) Canadian Precipitation Analysis (CaPA) (GEM-CaPA) dataset using the multivariate quantile mapping method. Our study analyses Effective Precipitation (Pe), Temperature Humidity Index (THI), and Precipitation Intensity Index (PII) at seasonal and sub-seasonal scales as they apply to cool-season crops. The CTL simulation shows a good performance in reproducing the spatial patterns and the temporal variability of the selected indices in western Canada. Results show that precipitation (Effective Precipitation) will decrease by over 60 mm (40 mm), rainy days will decrease by up to 10 days, and precipitation intensities will increase across western Canada. Warming will lead to THI unit increases of about 3.5 (>5) in the prairies (northeastern parts of western Canada in June). This study’s findings can be useful in generating appropriate information to inform policy on adaptation for sustainable crop production by the end of the 21st century.

The Arctic has warmed more than twice the rate of the entire globe. To quantify possible climate change effects, we calculate wind energy potentials from a multi-model ensemble of Arctic-CORDEX. For this, we analyze future changes of wind power density (WPD) using an eleven-member multi-model ensemble. Impacts are estimated for two periods (2020–2049 and 2070–2099) of the 21st century under a high emission scenario (RCP8.5). The multi-model mean reveals an increase of seasonal WPD over the Arctic in the future decades. WPD variability across a range of temporal scales is projected to increase over the Arctic. The signal amplifies by the end of 21st century. Future changes in the frequency of wind speeds at 100 m not useable for wind energy production (wind speeds below 4 m/s or above 25 m/s) has been analyzed. The RCM ensemble simulates a more frequent occurrence of 100 m non-usable wind speeds for the wind-turbines over Scandinavia and selected land areas in Alaska, northern Russia and Canada. In contrast, non-usable wind speeds decrease over large parts of Eastern Siberia and in northern Alaska. Thus, our results indicate increased potential of the Arctic for the development and production of wind energy. Bias corrected and not corrected near-surface wind speed and WPD changes have been compared with each other. It has been found that both show the same sign of future change, but differ in magnitude of these changes. The role of sea-ice retreat and vegetation expansion in the Arctic in future on near-surface wind speed variability has been also assessed. Surface roughness through sea-ice and vegetation changes may significantly impact on WPD variability in the Arctic.

Streams in the southern Piedmont are consistently incised forming deep (∼ 1–3 m) channels within wide valley bottoms. Here, we use a variety of methods to determine the drivers of stream incision in the region. We mapped ∼ 140 historic dams throughout the region since the breaching of mill dams is a known driver of incision elsewhere. We examined stream banks at 20 sites previously dammed and 8 sites with no known dams. At each site, we measured channel depth, described sediments, and dated sedimentary charcoal via radiocarbon dating. We also examined historical aerial photographs and used modern LiDAR to create cross-sections in multiple locations. Our findings indicate that while dams were common throughout the area, they were typically built within the incised streams indicating that incision predates dam construction. Locally, incision appears to have been part of an aggradation-degradation sequence driven by a period of Euroamerican deforestation. Most dams in the region are reported to have been built before 1850 indicating relatively early incision in the region. The legacy sediments overlie Holocene sediments that are similar to those in anastomosing systems that remain in a few stream reaches today. As such, anastomosing systems may have been common in the region during the Holocene. Both legacy sedimentation and erosion appear to continue into the present with alluvial sedimentation, stream straightening, headward erosion, and now a new discharge regime driven by urbanization in the region. Broadly, our results suggest that streams in the southern Piedmont have been consistently impacted by humans since Euroamerican settlement.

Mountain ecosystems provide numerous services vital for the existence of humankind globally. The present study was conducted in the Ladakh region of India to evaluate the socio-cultural values of the ecosystem services provided by the mountainous region. Questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions were used for data collection. It was observed that the respondents identified provisioning and cultural services easily compared to regulating and supporting services. Among services, fresh water and grazing services were valued 5-rating score on a Likert scale of 1–5 by more than 90% of respondents. Likewise, 80% of respondents have a 5-rating score for water retention and regulation, water purification, aesthetic and recreation and ecotourism services. A similar result was observed when the priority of ecosystem services for villagers was discussed through focus group discussions. All respondents viewed freshwater, grazing, and aesthetic services as priority ecosystem services, whereas recreation and ecotourism were prioritised in four villages, water retention and regulation, and water purification in two villages. Using bivariate correlation, the study of interactions among ecosystem services (between services of the same category) demonstrated strong positive to moderate negative correlations. Similarly, the results of the Kruskal-Wallis test indicate that socio-economic factors, including gender, income, and education, have a notable impact (p < 0.05) on most of the services. This suggests that respondents' socio-economic backgrounds influence the values assigned to the services. However, the decline of crucial ecosystem services over the last two decades, as highlighted by participants in the in-depth interviews, raises alarm. Integrating socio-cultural values of ecosystem services while formulating any regional developmental policy could empower the policy-makers to take more informed, eco-friendly actions.

The Earth has lost approximately half of its large mammal species (≥45 kg, one-third of species ≥9 kg) over the past 120,000 years, resulting in depauperate megafauna communities worldwide. Despite substantial interest and debate for over a century, the reasons for these exceptionally high extinction rates and major transformation of the biosphere remain contested. The predominant explanations are climate change, hunting by modern humans (Homo sapiens), or a combination of both. To evaluate the evidence for each hypothesis, statistical models were constructed to test the predictive power of prehistoric human and hominin presence and migration on megafauna extinction severity and on extinction bias toward larger species. Models with anthropic predictors were compared to models that considered late-Quaternary (120–0 kya) climate change and it was found that models including human factors outperformed all purely climatic models. These results thus support an overriding impact of Homo sapiens on megafauna extinctions. Given the disproportionate impact of large-bodied animals on vegetation structure, plant dispersal, nutrient cycling and co-dependent biota, this simplification and downsizing of mammal faunas worldwide represents the first planetary-scale, human-driven transformation of the environment.