Re-conceptualizing the Anthropocene: A call for collaboration

Since it was first proposed in 2000, the concept of the Anthropocene has evolved in breadth and diversely. The concept encapsulates the new and unprecedented planetary-scale changes resulting from societal transformations and has brought to the fore the social drivers of global change. The concept has revealed tensions between generalized interpretations of humanity’s contribution to global change, and interpretations that are historically, politically and culturally situated. It motivates deep ethical questions about the politics and economics of global change, including diverse interpretations of past causes and future possibilities. As such, more than other concepts, the Anthropocene concept has brought front-and-center epistemological divides between and within the natural and social sciences, and the humanities. It has also brought new opportunities for collaboration. Here we explore the potential and challenges of the concept to encourage integrative understandings of global change and sustainability. Based on bibliometric analysis and literature review, we discuss the now wide acceptance of the term, its interpretive flexibility, the emerging narratives as well as the debates the concept has inspired. We argue that without truly collaborative and integrative research, many of the critical exchanges around the concept are likely to perpetuate fragmented research agendas and to reinforce disciplinary boundaries. This means appreciating the strengths and limitations of different knowledge domains, approaches and perspectives, with the concept of the Anthropocene serving as a bridge, which we encourage researchers and others to cross. This calls for institutional arrangements that facilitate collaborative research, training, and action, yet also depends on more robust and sustained funding for such activities. To illustrate, we briefly discuss three overarching global change problems where novel types of collaborative research could make a difference: (1) Emergent properties of socioecological systems; (2) Urbanization and resource nexus; and (3) Systemic risks and tipping points. Creative tensions around the Anthropocene concept can help the research community to move toward new conceptual syntheses and integrative action-oriented approaches that are needed to producing useful knowledge commensurable with the challenges of global change and sustainability.     

重力场数学拟合模型解的影响因素探究

为了提高地球重力场模型不适定方程求解的精度,该文采用谱分析方法从级数展开阶数、数据采样率及数据缺失量3个方面探索影响数学拟合效果的根本因素:从常用的三角级数及勒让德级数模型出发,引出重力场拟合模型球谐函数模型,观察在改变级数展开阶数、数据采样率及数据缺失量等情况下所对应设计矩阵谱结构的变化,并从微观上研究影响误差分配的有关因素及最小奇异值对误差的决定性作用,为探求重力场模型解不准的原因及实现更高精度的全球重力场模型的建立提供参考。     

Multiple statistical approaches for the discrimination of mangrove species of Rhizophoraceae using transformed field and laboratory hyperspectral data

This study aims at discriminating eight mangrove species of Rhizophoraceae family of Indian east coast using field and laboratory spectra in spectral range (350–2500 nm). Parametric and non-parametric statistical analyses were applied on spectral data in four spectral modes: (i) reflectance (ii) continuum removed, (iii) additive inverse and (iv) continuum removed additive inverse. We introduced continuum removal of inverse spectra to utilize the advantage of continuum removal in reflectance region. Non-parametric test gave better separability than parametric test. Principal component analysis and stepwise discriminant analysis were applied for feature reduction and to identify optimal wavelengths for species discrimination. To quantify the separability, Jeffries–Matusita distance measure was derived. Green (550 nm), red edge (680–720 nm) and water absorption region (1470 and 1850 nm) were found to be optimal wavelengths for species discrimination. The continuum removal of additive inverse spectra gave better separability than the continuum removed spectra.     

Quantification of LST and CO2 levels using Landsat-8 thermal bands on urban environment

Land surface temperature (LST) is an important aspect in global to regional change studies, for control of climate change and balancing of high temperature. Urbanization is one of the influencing factors increasing land surface and atmospheric temperature, by the emission of greenhouse gases (e.g. CO₂, NO and methane). In the present study, LST was derived from Landsat-8 of multitemporal data sets to analyse the spatial structure of the urban thermal environment in relation to the urban surface characteristics and land use–land cover (LULC). LST is influenced by the greenhouse gases i.e. CO₂ plays an important role in increasing the earth’s surface temperature. In order to provide the evidence of influence of CO₂ on LST, the relationship between LST, air temperature and CO₂ was analysed. Landsat-8 satellite has two thermal bands, 10 and 11. These bands were used to accurately to calculate the temperature over the study area. Results showed that the strength of correlation between ground monitoring data and satellite data was high. Based on correlation values of each month April (R² = 0.994), May (R² = 0.297) and June (R² = 0.934), observed results show that band 10 was significantly correlating with air temperature. Relationship between LST and CO₂ levels were obtained from linear regression analysis. band 11 was correlating significantly with CO₂ values in each of the months April (R² = 0.217), May (R² = 0.914) and June, (R² = 0.934), because band 11 is closer to the 15-micron band of CO₂. From the results, it was observed that band 10 can be used for calculating air temperature and band 11 can be used for estimation of greenhouse gases.     

Late Oligocene–Early Miocene palaeoecology based on pollen data from the Kalkım-Gönen Basin (Northwest Turkey)

Radiometric and palynological data of the Upper Oligocene–Lower Miocene Soma Formation from the Kalk?m-Gönen Basin yield new results related to age and palynological contents. In this study, Upper Oligocene strata from the Dani?ment and Linfa areas and Lower Miocene strata from the Bengiler area were sampled palynologically and for radiometric dating. The Dani?ment assemblage, which is older than the Linfa assemblages, mainly contains coniferous and evergreen to deciduous mixed mesophytic forest elements. Relatively high quantities of the altitudinal plants Picea and Abies, indicate a cooler palaeoclimate. The Linfa associations mainly include coniferous and riparian elements. Pollen of the riparian plant Alnus and Taxodiaceae indicative for the swamp forest community was predominant, probably as a result of a high lake level. There is a hiatus during the Oligocene–Miocene transition, probably showing a non-depositional phase and sea-level fall indicating the Mi-1 glaciation event. Higher in the sequence, the Aquitanian Bengiler sediments include high amounts of coniferous forest elements as well as components indicative for the evergreen and deciduous mesophytic forest and also riparian forest and swamp forest. Due to presence of thermophilous taxa Reveesia, Mastixiaceae and Arecaceae, a warm and humid palaeoclimate is inferred according to quantitative analyses using the Coexistence Approach.     

A note on “Origin of components in Chilean thermal waters” by

Risacher et al. (2011) have presented voluminous data on thermal waters of Chile that is quite appreciable; however, their work still falls short on several counts. The most notable shortcoming of the work is the presentation and treatment of data. The interpretations are based on questionable premises (viz., extent of seawater intrusion) and considerations (viz., using average chemical composition of rock types for geochemical modeling, considering volcanic rocks as the only rock type in contact with the geothermal fluids) and assumptions not always substantiated by facts (with proper references) could have been corroborated. Use of Cl/Br ratio for discrimination purpose is unconvincing, considering the uncertainty in the measurement of low (<1 mg/L) Br concentration.     

Geochemistry of Paraná-Etendeka basalts from Misiones,Argentina: Some new insights into the petrogenesis of high-Ti continental flood basalts

The Early Cretaceous (∼135–131 Ma) Paraná-Etendeka continental flood basalts, preserved in bulk in the Paraná basin of southern Brazil and vicinity, have been divided into low-Ti and high-Ti types that govern the southern and northern halves of the basin, respectively. We have examined a new sample set from the southern margin of the northern high-Ti segment of Paraná basalts in Misiones, northeastern Argentina. These basalts are strongly to moderately enriched in TiO₂ (2–4 wt.%), have relatively high Ti/Y (300–500), low MgO (3.5–6.5 wt.%), and high Fe (FeO(tot) 12–14 wt.%) and belong to the Pitanga and Paranapanema magma types of Peate et al. (1992). Nd and Sr isotope compositions are quite unvarying with ε_Nd (at 133 Ma) values of −4.6 to −3.6 and initial ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr of 0.7054–0.7059 and show no variation with fractionation. Compared to high-Ti lavas in the central and northern parts of the Paraná high-Ti basalt segment, the lavas from Misiones are similar to those in the northeastern magin of the basin but less radiogenic in initial Nd isotope composition than those in the central part. This variation probably reflects mixed EM1-EM2 source components in the sublithospheric mantle. A polybaric melt model of a sublithospheric mantle source at the garnet lherzolite-spinel lherzolite transition is compatible with the observed Ti budget of the Pitanga and Paranapanema lavas, regardless of the Nd isotope composition of their purported source.     

Numerical implementation of the installation/mooring line and application to analyzing comprehensive anchor behaviors

With the application of innovative anchor concepts and advanced technologies in deepwater moorings, anchor behaviors in the seabed are becoming more complicated and pose a great challenge to the analytical methods. In the present work, a large deformation finite element (FE) analysis employing the coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian technique is performed to simulate the installation/mooring line, and then is applied to analyzing comprehensive anchor behaviors in the seabed. By connecting cylindrical units with each other using connector elements, the installation/mooring line is constructed. With the constructed installation/mooring line, FE simulations are carried out to investigate comprehensive anchor behaviors in the seabed, including long-distance penetration of drag anchors, keying of suction embedded plate anchors and non-catastrophic behavior of gravity-installed anchors. Through comparative studies, the accuracy of the proposed method is well examined. A parametric study is also undertaken to quantify the effects of the frictional coefficient, initial embedment depth, and soil weight on the profile of the embedded anchor line and the shackle load. The present work demonstrates that the proposed FE model, which incorporates the installation/mooring line and the anchor, is effective in analyzing the comprehensive anchor behaviors in the seabed.     

西北太平洋气候和海洋环境变化对柔鱼空间分布的影响

Ommastrephes bartramii is an ecologically dependent species and has great commercial values among the AsiaPacific countries. This squid widely inhabits the North Pacific, one of the most dynamic marine environments in the world, subjecting to multi-scale climatic events such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO). Commercial fishery data from the Chinese squid-jigging fleets during 1995–2011 are used to evaluate the influences of climatic and oceanic environmental variations on the spatial distribution of O. bartramii. Significant interannual and seasonal variability are observed in the longitudinal and latitudinal gravity centers(LONG and LATG) of fishing ground of O. bartramii. The LATG mainly occurred in the waters with the suitable ranges of environmental variables estimated by the generalized additive model. The apparent north-south spatial shift in the annual LATG appeares to be associated with the PDO phenomenon and is closely related to the sea surface temperature(SST)and sea surface height(SSH) on the fishing ground, whereas the mixed layer depth(MLD) might contribute limited impacts to the distribution pattern of O. bartramii. The warm PDO regimes tend to yield cold SST and low SSH, resulting in a southward shift of LATG, while the cold PDO phases provid warm SST and elevated SSH,resulting in a northward shift of LATG. A regression model is developed to help understand and predict the fishing ground distributions of O. bartramii and improve the fishery management.     

Middle Jurassic–Early Cretaceous tectonic evolution of the Bayanhushuo area,southern Great Xing’an Range,NE China: constraints from zircon U–Pb geochronological and geochemical data of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks

This study presents new zircon U–Pb geochronology, geochemistry, and zircon Hf isotopic data of volcanic and subvolcanic rocks that crop out in the Bayanhushuo area of the southern Great Xing’an Range (GXR) of NE China. These data provide insights into the tectonic evolution of this area during the late Mesozoic and constrain the evolution of the Mongol–Okhotsk Ocean. Combining these new ages with previously published data suggests that the late Mesozoic volcanism occurred in two distinct episodes: Early–Middle Jurassic (176–173 Ma) and Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous (151–138 Ma). The Early–Middle Jurassic dacite porphyry belongs to high-K calc-alkaline series, showing the features of I-type igneous rock. This unit has zircon ε_Hf(t) values from +4.06 to +11.62 that yield two-stage model ages (T_DM2) from 959 to 481 Ma. The geochemistry of the dacite porphyry is indicative of formation in a volcanic arc tectonic setting, and it is derived from a primary magma generated by the partial melting of juvenile mafic crustal material. The Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks belong to high-K calc-alkaline or shoshonite series and have A₂-type affinities. These volcanics have ε_Hf(t) and T_DM2 values from +5.00 to +8.93 and from 879 to 627 Ma, respectively. The geochemistry of these Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous volcanic rocks is indicative of formation in a post-collisional extensional environment, and they formed from primary magmas generated by the partial melting of juvenile mafic lower crust. The discovery of late Mesozoic volcanic and subvolcanic rocks within the southern GXR indicates that this region was in volcanic arc and extensional tectonic settings during the Early–Middle Jurassic and the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous, respectively. This indicates that the Mongol–Okhotsk oceanic plate was undergoing subduction during the Early–Middle Jurassic, and this ocean adjacent to the GXR may have closed by the Late Middle Jurassic–Early Late Jurassic.