Crawford Lake in Ontario contains the record that best identifies the beginning of the Anthropocene, the geologic epoch characterized by the global impact of human activity.
While we have been shaping climates for thousands of years, personally, I view the term from a purely practical sense of radiocarbon dating issues and geochemical signatures that underly a lot of palaeoecological studies, though obviously, it started much earlier. It’s been talked about for a while, especially by people studying arctic areas and other marginal places. It’s measurable and consistent chemically, which is why people are pinpointing this point in time. Transition periods, especially at this scale, are hard and it’s important to note that the date doesn’t signify the start.
While we have been shaping climates for thousands of years, personally, I view the term from a purely practical sense of radiocarbon dating issues and geochemical signatures that underly a lot of palaeoecological studies, though obviously, it started much earlier. It’s been talked about for a while, especially by people studying arctic areas and other marginal places. It’s measurable and consistent chemically, which is why people are pinpointing this point in time. Transition periods, especially at this scale, are hard and it’s important to note that the date doesn’t signify the start.