Ice Sheets and the Anthropocene
Open accessAbstract
Abstract Ice could play a role in identifying and defining the Anthropocene. The recurrence of northern hemisphere glaciation and the stability of the Greenland Ice Sheet are both potentially vulnerable to human impact on the environment. However, only a very long hiatus in either would be unusual in the context of the Quaternary Period, requiring the definition of a geological boundary. Human influence can clearly be discerned in several ice-core measurements. These include a sharp boundary in radioactivity due to atmospheric nuclear testing; increases, unprecedented at least in the Holocene, in Greenland concentrations of sulphate, nitrate and metals such as lead; the appearance in ice-core air bubbles of previously undetectable compounds such as SF 6 ; and the rise, unprecedented in the last 800 ka, in concentrations of carbon dioxide and methane. Some combination of these changes could be used by future generations to clearly identify the onset of a new epoch defined at a particular calendar date. However, it is not yet clear what the character of the fully developed Anthropocene will be, and it might be wise to let future generations decide, with hindsight, when the Anthropocene started, acknowledging only that we are in the transition towards it.
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The worldwide fallout from nuclear bomb explosions is easily identifiable in the chemostratigraphic record.
“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.”
From When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal (2015) · cites this paper as Wolff, 2014
The global spread of artificial radionuclides from surface A-bomb explosions is a stratigraphic marker of the mid-twentieth century.
“the global spread of artificial radionuclides from surface A-bomb explosions (Fairchild and Frisia, 2014;Hancock et al., 2014;Wolff, 2014);”
From When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal (2015) · cites this paper as Wolff, 2014
The radiogenic signal became prominent worldwide a few years later than 1945, as nuclear testing became more widespread.
“Practically speaking, this radiogenic signal became prominent worldwide a few years later than 1945 (e.g.Hancock et al., 2014;Wolff, 2014;Waters et al., 2015), as nuclear testing became more widespread.”
From When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal (2015) · cites this paper as Wolff, 2014
The main phase of increase in nitrate levels was 1950-1980 C.E., culminating in values higher than those observed for the previous 100,000 years.
“The main phase of increase in nitrate levels was also 1950-1980 C.E. (Fig. 3A, B), culminating in values higher than those observed for the previous 100,000 years ( 57 ).”
From The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene (2016) · cites this paper as [57]
Cites
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The Anthropogenic Greenhouse Era Began Thousands of Years Ago
Ruddiman, W. F. (2003) · Climatic Change · doi:10.1023/b:clim.0000004577.17928.fa · Cited by 1,658 · cited 1× · see citing works
“There is some discussion in the literature as to whether rising levels of CO2 during the last 8 ka, and of CH4 during the last 6 ka, could also be the result of human activity (land clearance and the widespread adoption of agriculture; Ruddiman 2003).”
BackgroundCarbon Isotope Constraints on the Deglacial CO <sub>2</sub> Rise from Ice Cores
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Lewis, S. L., & Maslin, M. A. (2015) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature14258 · Cited by 3,441 · see citing works
The Anthropocene is functionally and stratigraphically distinct from the Holocene
Waters, C. N., Zalasiewicz, J., Summerhayes, C., Barnosky, A. D., Poirier, C., Gałuszka, A., Cearreta, A., Edgeworth, M., Ellis, E. C., Ellis, M., et al. (2016) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.aad2622 · Cited by 2,375 · see citing works
When did the Anthropocene begin? A mid-twentieth century boundary level is stratigraphically optimal
Zalasiewicz, J., Waters, C. N., Williams, M., Barnosky, A. D., Cearreta, A., Crutzen, P., Ellis, E., Ellis, M. A., Fairchild, I. J., Grinevald, J., et al. (2015) · Quaternary International · doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2014.11.045 · Cited by 784 · see citing works
The Working Group on the Anthropocene: Summary of evidence and interim recommendations
Zalasiewicz, J., Waters, C. N., Summerhayes, C. P., Wolfe, A. P., Barnosky, A. D., Cearreta, A., Crutzen, P., Ellis, E., Fairchild, I. J., Gałuszka, A., et al. (2017) · Anthropocene · doi:10.1016/j.ancene.2017.09.001 · Cited by 487 · see citing works
- Authors
- Wolff, E. W.
- Affiliations
- British Antarctic Survey (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Wolff, Eric W.
- ORCID
- Wolff, Eric W.
- Venue
- Geological Society, London, Special Publications
- Publisher
- Geological Society of London
- Published
- 2013-11-25
- Volume
- 395
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 255-263
- ISSN
- 0305-8719 (ISSN-L)
- 2041-4927
- OpenAlex
- W2162574558
- Cited by
- 45
- References
- 5
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 1
- FWCI
- 2.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Locations
- Geological Society London Special Publications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- Department of Earth Sciences EPrints Repository (acceptedVersion)
- NERC Open Research Archive (Natural Environment Research Council) (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- Natural Environment Research Council (bas0100024)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Cryospheric studies and observations
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Paleontology and Stratigraphy of Fossils
- Keywords
- Anthropocene, ice sheets, Greenland ice sheet, Quaternary glaciation, geological boundaries, ice cores, atmospheric nuclear tests, lead, SF6, carbon dioxide, methane, Holocene, anthropogenic impacts
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