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How da humans alter the planet :

-Building cities (urbanization)

+) Main materials: Steel, glass, concrete and brick.

+) Problem: Cities cannot be preserved long. Because of erosion. Land erodes -> unstable.

-Farming:

+) Problem: Fertilizer traces ( very toxic)

=>Result: corn, pollen, wheat, soy pollen one color, processed and sad (instead of varied & lively records in the past)

+) E.g: 38% of earths ice-free land is for agriculture.

-Chopping down forests:

+) Problem 1: deforestation (too many forest chopped down)

=> Soil erosion

=> Sedimentation [when the solid (soil dirt rock) is separated from the liquid and sinks to the bottom]

+) Problem 2: Living creatures lose forest habitat-> risk of extinction.
The impact is hundreds/thousand times bigger than than >500m years ago.
If continues, risk x10000.

-Change in air composition ( humans pumping different air into the atmosphere)

+) Problem 1: excessive CO2 ( carbon dioxed) in the air

+) We don’t think much about this ( bc CO2 is color&odorless)

=>Significant rise in global temperature
=>Animals: Many living creatures go to the N&S Poles (cuz no old habitat left). Some all die.
=> Sea: sea levels +20 feet.

-Fossil fuel:

+) Billions of coal and oil

=>Acidifies ocean

=> Marine life: Corals cannot construct reefs ( reef gap)

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The Human Age

1. The debate of Anthropocene: a new name for a new epoch?

2. Reasons why we are stepping into Anthropocene/ The increasingly profound impacts of human on the planet

3. When did human impact become so geologically significant?

4. The real value of the debate

1. Anthropocene: a new name for a new epoch?

1. Origin

Dutch chemist Paul Crutzen, 2002

After the idea was written in the his journal ‘Nature’, the concept was widely used, especially in serious literature

2. How the debate started

Crutzen was sitting at a scientific conference

Chairman kept referring to Holocene, the most recent epoch until today

Crutzen blurts out: ‘Holocene stops → Anthropocene starts’

3. The rise of Anthropocene:

Zalasiewicz (Chairman of GSLSC) + team decided to view Anthropocene as a formal problem

Reason: Human impacts on the world has become a lot more obvious (population)

2. Reasons why we are stepping into Anthropocene/ The increasingly profound impacts of human on the planet

1. Building cities

Man-made materials

Transient (not long term). Erosion > sedimentation

2. Agriculture

Fertilizers runoff

3. Deforestation

Massive soil erosion

Accumulating sediments in dams → can hold back less water

Loss of forest habitat → extinction

4. Atmosphere

CO2 → intense global warming years to come

Migration to the poles → leave traces in fossil record

Risk of extinction

Rising sea levels (20ft+)

5. Burning fossil fuels

Acidified oceans → Inhibit coral reefs construction (‘reef gap’) (very profound)

3. When did human impact become so geologically significant?

The invention of agriculture ~8000 years → increase in CO2

Anthropocene:

Crutzen: late 18th century (ice cores, CO2 rise uninterruptedly)

Other scientists: middle of 20th century (population + consumption accelerated)

4. The real values of the debate

The debate about the start of Anthropocene is still ongoing, and is likely to drag on for years

Crutzen & the real values: For Anthropocene to be a warning to focus our attention the the consequences of our actions, and how we might avert the worst

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Main reading: the Anthorocene:

1. A New Perspective:

the term "anthoropocene" was invented in 2002 by Paul Crutzen

he argued that humans are now in the anthropocene, not the official "holocene"

in the 1870s a similar term ("anthropozoic") was brought up by Antonio Stoppani, but was mostly ignored

the new term caught the attention of geologist Jan Zalasiewicz, and his group soon looked into it as a possible new epoch. his team concluded that it was

2. Human Impact

in order to prove that the anthropocene was a real epoch, Zalasiewicz's team needed proof of human impact of the environment that would leave a permanent trace

Cities: building structures made out of man-made materials, however they can easily disappear (they can be eroded as they're built on land)

farming: 38% of the planet's land is used for farming, and it will leave some traces from the monotone pollen record of corn and wheat that replaces the varied record of rainforests or prairies

forests: destruction of forests, sedimentation and extinctions may noticed (but harder for the former, as dams are holding back sediment that would've been washed out to the sea)

atmosphere: changes in the atmosphere, most likely to be permanent as shifts in habitat will leave traces in the fossil record, and oceans may become so acidified that corals can't construct reefs any longer

3. It's Origins

William Ruddiman argues that the anthoropocene started 8000 years ago when humans invented agriculture

Crutzen argues that it began in the late 18th century when CO2 levels started to rise uninterrupted

Others have said it began in the mid-20th century with rapid population growth and consumption

signs of the anthropocene will likely come clearer in the next decades

=> The Anthropocene is meant to be a warning to the world about the consequences of our actions on the planet, and on how we can still save it

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*The Human Impact:

+) Natural environments are under sheer pressure for human ,by human (e.g:water,air pollution ; deforestation for agriculture)

+)In developed countries,economy-stimulating aspects and current conveniences are the corner stone for pollutions to grow

+) In less developed countries , deforestation and overuse of land are rising dramatically to meet the needs of mankind,therefore leading to a downgrade in water and a rise in desserts

*Types of human impact

+)Deforestation: less forest covers,more carbon and soil erosion are caused

+)Desertification: In semiarid/arid areas,overgazed/overcultivated land can become desert like

+)Pollution:poor air quality is putting countries into jeopardy.Smokes from power plants may lead to acid rain

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Main question of the Unit:

In what ways have humans changed the planet?

What are the positive and negative effects of the changes humans have made on the planet?

THE HUMAN IMPACT - Explore the theme

Currently natural environments are under threat from air and water pollutants and overexploitation by humans.

Alarming environmental issues:

Deforestation: contributes to accumulation of CO2 in the atmosphere, lead to soil erosion and loss of soil nutrients

Desertification: Semiarid and arid areas can become desertic due to overgrazing and overfarming

Pollution: Smoke from factories lead to poor air quality and contain particles that make up acid rain

VOCABULARY:

Erosion(n):  gradual destruction by natural causes such as weather, the sea, and rivers

Fertilizer (n): a substance used by farmers to help crops grow

READING: THE HUMAN AGE

Purpose of the article: Present the concept of a new epoch and ways in which human impact will be noted in the future.

4 main areas Kolbert examine for indications of human impact:

Cities

+Human impact: stretches of buidings made of man-made material

+ This impact won't leave much record in the future since land erosion may make cities disappear

Farming

+Human impact: farming takes over 38% of the available land

+Human influences on land are likely to leave trace in the long run but only from the pollen record of the shift from a variety of plants to a few species

Forest

+Human impact: loss of trees

+This impact might leave obvious further record due to indication of sedimentation and extinction

Atmosphere

+Human impact: changes in the composition of the atmosphere

+Human effects on the atmosphere might leave noticeable traces in the future - shifts in habitat range will affect fossil record; the world's corals might become acidified, and coral will not be able to construct reefs

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vocab

desertification: process of which fertile land become desert due to droughts or bad agricultural practices

profound: very noticeable, sudden and surprising

epoch: a period of time in history or a person's life, typically one marked by notable events or particular characteristics

epoch (tens of millions of years) < periods < eras

anthropocene: a period of which human activity becomes the dominant influence on the environment

coined by: invented by sbd

decipher: able to figure out sth

discernible: able to detect sth

stave off: prevent sth from happening

drags on: continues for a long time

quadruples: increases by a factor of four

stratigraphy: branch of geology concerned with the study of rock layers

transient: sth that is constantly changing

monochrome: all one color

sedimentation: process of which solid material settles at the bottom of a liquid (lắng cặn ig?)

paleoclimatologist: someone who studies climates prevalent at particular times in the geological past.

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