Defining the Anthropocene.

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    • Subject Terms:
      ANTHROPOCENE Epoch; ANTHROPOGENIC effects on nature; NOVEL ecosystems; HUMAN ecology; GEOLOGISTS
    • 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
    • Abstract:
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