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.     

天津城区春节期间大气气溶胶污染特征 和数浓度分布

利用天津城区2009-2014年春节期间大气气溶胶观测资料和相关气象资料,重点分析2013和2014年春节期间气溶胶污染特征,探求燃放烟花爆竹以及气象条件对春节期间大气气溶胶的影响。结果表明,受燃放烟花爆竹影响,春节期间PM_(2.5)质量浓度最高值均发生在除夕夜间;持续雾霾天气条件下燃放烟花爆竹,造成2013年除夕夜间PM_(2.5)质量浓度峰值达到1240μg·m～(-3),是近年来最严重的一次;2014年春节期间烟花爆竹燃放量有所减少,加之空气扩散条件较为有利,PM_(2.5)质量浓度显著低于2013年;不同天气条件下,气溶胶数浓度谱分布特征存在明显差异,燃放烟花爆竹期间气溶胶数浓度水平与严重雾-霾天气相当。     

1971—2010年京津冀大城市热岛效应多时间尺度分析

利用1971—2010年均一化的京津冀区域逐日气温数据与质量控制后的2011年自动站逐时气温数据,分析了北京、天津和石家庄热岛效应的多尺度时间变化特征。结果表明,三个城市平均、最高和最低气温的热岛效应呈非对称性特征,最强为最低气温的热岛效应,其次为平均气温的热岛效应,最弱为最高气温的热岛效应。北京平均气温的热岛效应最强,其次为天津,石家庄相对较弱,石家庄平均气温的热岛效应近40年呈显著上升趋势,每10年达0.13℃。石家庄最高气温的热岛效应最强,其次为北京,最小为天津,近40年北京最高气温的热岛效应呈缓慢上升趋势,每10年增加0.06℃,石家庄变化不明显,天津呈微弱下降趋势。最低气温的热岛在北京最强,其次为天津,最小为石家庄,近40年最低气温热岛效应天津呈明显上升趋势,每10年增加0.18℃,其次为石家庄,北京呈微弱下降趋势。三个城市的平均气温、最低气温的热岛效应季节变化通常表现为夏季较弱,冬季最强。三个城市最高气温的热岛效应季节变化差异较大,北京10月热岛效应最弱,其他月份变化不大;天津热岛效应6月最弱,在1或12月最强;石家庄4和5月热岛效应最强,10月热岛效应最弱。由2011年自动站数据得到的平均气温热岛效应与1971—2010年的40年平均得到的平均气温的热岛效应季节变化具有类似的规律。2011年自动站热岛效应在一天中表现为白天热岛强度较低,而夜间热岛强度较高。     

华北陆块晋冀Al- Fe- Au- Pb- Zn- Ag- Cu- 煤成矿带主要地质成矿特征及潜力分析

华北陆块晋冀成矿带是我国重要的金属和能源矿产资源基地,近年来新的找矿进展和预测成果不断涌现,使之成为我国重点找矿地区之一,需要对其开展系统的成矿区划和部署研究工作。本文以新的研究成果和找矿突破为基础,通过综合分析,在该地区划分新的重要成矿部署区带,厘定边界并将其命名为"华北陆块晋冀Al-Fe-Au-Pb-Zn-Ag-Cu-煤成矿带"。结合区域成矿地质背景的综合研究,在区内划分了10个成矿亚带,初步建立了Al-Fe-Au-Pb-Zn-Ag-Cu-煤成矿带成矿谱系,其成矿作用具有多期次发育和多系统控制的特点,在时间演化上表现为多旋回性、继承性、新生性和叠加性特点,主要成矿期有前寒武纪,寒武纪-晚二叠世,晚三叠世-晚白垩世和新生代,其中晚侏罗-早白垩世是内生金属矿床成矿大爆发期。该带产出的矿床类型复杂多样,与岩浆有关成矿作用有岩浆岩型、斑岩型、矽卡岩型、海(陆)相火山岩型、岩浆热液型和石英脉型,变质成矿作用有沉积变质型、绿岩建造型,层控成因矿床有碳酸盐岩中热液型,沉积成矿作用有海(陆)相沉积型、砂矿型、风化壳型矿床等。结合区域找矿进展和潜力评价最新成果,认为本区铝土矿、铁、金、锰、钼、铜、铅锌、煤矿潜力巨大,为下一步勘查部署的主攻矿种,同时在本区划分了26个重点远景区,对研究区下一步矿产勘查部署工作有一定指导意义。     

Preservation of coal-waste geochemical markers in vegetation and soil on self-heating coal-waste dumps in Silesia,Poland

Occurrence and distributions of geochemical markers on vegetation and in soils covering two self-heating coal waste dumps were investigated with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and compared with those of bitumen expelled on the coal waste dump surface. Presence of biomarkers, alkyl aromatic hydrocarbons, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and such polar compounds as phenols indicate that components of self-heating coal wastes indeed migrate to soils and plants surface and their characteristic fingerprints can be applied in passive monitoring to investigate migration of contaminants from self-heating coal wastes. Moreover, results allow to discriminate between the Upper- and Lower Silesian coal basins, notwithstanding value shifts caused by heating. Mechanisms enabling the migration of geochemical compounds into soils include mixing with weathered coal-waste material, transport in gases emitted due to self-heating and, indirectly, by deposition of biomass containing geochemical substances. Transport in gases involves mostly lighter compounds such as phenols, methylnaphthalenes, methylbiphenyls, etc. Distributions and values of geochemical ratios are related to differences in their boiling temperatures in the case of lighter compounds but preserve geochemical features in the case of heavier compounds such as pentacyclic trierpanes.     

Petrogenesis and geodynamic evolution of the Kajan Neogene subvolcanic rocks,Nain, Central Iran

Kajan subvolcanic rocks in the Urumieh–Dokhtar magmatic arc (UDMA), Central Iran, form a Late Miocene-Pliocene shallow-level intrusion. These subvolcanics correspond to a variety of intermediate and felsic rocks, comprising quartz diorite, quartz monzodiorite, tonalite and granite. These lithologies are medium-K calc-alkaline, with SiO₂ (wt.%) varying from 52% (wt.%) to 75 (wt.%). The major element chemical data also show that MgO, CaO, TiO₂, P₂O₅, MnO, Al₂O₃ and Fe₂O₃ define linear trends with negative slopes against SiO₂, whilst Na₂O and K₂O are positively correlated with silica. Contents of incompatible trace elements (e.g. Ba, Rb, Nb, La and Zr) become higher with increasing SiO₂, whereas Sr shows an opposite behaviour. Chondrite-normalized multi-element patterns show enrichment in LILE relative to HFSE and troughs in Nb, P and Ti. These observations are typical of subduction related magmas that formed in an active continental margin. The Kajan rocks show a strong affinity with calc-alkaline arc magmas, confirmed by REE fractionation (La_N/Yb_N = 4.5–6.4) with moderate HREE fractionation (Sm_N/Yb_N = 1.08–1.57). The negative Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu* <1), the low to moderate Sr content (< 400 ppm) and the Dy/Yb values reflect plagioclase and hornblende (+- clinopyroxene) fractionation from a calc-alkaline melt Whole–rock Sr and Nd isotope analyses show that the ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr initial ratios vary from 0.704432 to 0.705989, and the ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd initial ratios go from 0.512722 to 0.512813. All the studied samples have similar Sr-Nd isotopes, indicating an origin from a similar source, with granite samples that has more radiogenic Sr and low radiogenic Nd isotopes, suggesting a minor interaction with upper crust during magma ascent. The Kajan subvolcanic rocks plot within the depleted mantle quadrant of the conventional Sr-Nd isotope diagram, a compositional region corresponding to mantle-derived igneous rocks.     

县域经济发展水平评价及时空格局演变——以河北省为例

针对河北省县域经济发展特点和时空变化规律的问题,该文将GIS技术与定量分析方法相结合,选取2000年和2010年的15个能够反映河北省县域经济发展状况的指标,采用熵值法系统地测算了河北省136个县的经济发展水平,并利用空间自相关分析法分析了河北省县域经济发展空间格局的演变特征。研究结果表明:河北省县域经济发展依然存在明显的南北差异,并已形成"一线+两点"的经济空间格局;2000—2010年,Moran指数不断下降,高-高集聚区和低-低集聚区的县域数量与土地面积不断减少,河北省县域经济集聚效应减弱,经济发展渐趋均衡。     

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.     

Application of Zn isotopes in environmental impact assessment of Zn–Pb metallurgical industries: A mini review

Zn and Pb smelters are the major contributors to Zn and Pb emissions among all anthropogenic sources, thus, it is essential to understand Zn isotopic variations within the context of metallurgical industries, as well as its fractionation in different environments impacted by smelting activities. This mini review outlines the current state of knowledge on Zn isotopic fractionation during the high-temperature roasting process in Zn and Pb refineries; δ⁶⁶Zn values variations in air emissions, slags and effluents from the smelters in comparison to the geogenic Zn isotopic signature of ores formation and weathering. In order to assess the environmental impact of these smelters, the available and measured δ⁶⁶Zn values are compiled for smelter impacted natural water bodies (groundwater, stream and river water), sediments (lake and reservoir) and soils (peat bog soil, inland soil). Finally, the discussion is extended to the fractionation induced during numerous physicochemical reactions and transformations, i.e. adsorption, precipitation as well as both inorganic and organic surface complexation.