Scientists discuss start of a new, human-dominated epoch
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.028574
Nature : An international group of scientists is planning to introduce a new unit of geologic time—the Anthropocene—to cover the period when humans began to have a widespread impact on Earth’s climate, land, and oceans. Although global changes suggest that an epoch-scale boundary has been crossed, where exactly to set that boundary has been a matter of debate. Among the proposals is the dawn of agriculture, the Industrial Revolution, or the first atomic bomb blast, which spread radioactive elements around the world. In 2016 the working group plans to present its formal recommendation to the International Commission on Stratigraphy, which will be the final arbiter in deciding whether and how to define the Anthropocene.
