10:00 AM - 10:15 AM
[MIS08-05] Introduction of the Anthropocene to Geopark Japan
Keywords:geopark, Anthropocene
According to the Japan Geoparks Network, a Geopark is a place where people can learn about the Earth's past and think about its future through its geological and geomorphological features. Geoparks are intended to consider the ecological environment that develops on the earth, and to comprehensively understand the lifestyles and cultures of the people who live and work there, and to make use of this knowledge for education and sustainable development. Currently, there are 46 Geoparks in Japan, including 10 UNESCO World Geoparks, and each region is developing its own activities to protect its geological heritage and utilize it for education and tourism, taking advantage of its unique characteristics. On the other hand, efforts are still being made to address themes common to all Geoparks, such as global environmental change (e.g. global warming) and natural disasters in island arcs. Another challenge is to overcome the difficulty of understanding the differences in time scales when considering the relationship between the history of geology and landforms formed over geological time and current human activities. One of the approaches to address these issues is to introduce the concept of the Anthropocene to the Geoparks.
The Anthropocene was abruptly proposed by Dutch atmospheric chemist Paul Jozef Crutzen at a meeting in Mexico in 2000 to summarize the first phase of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) (Crutzen and Stoermer Crutzen and Stoermer, 2000). The Working Group on the Anthropocene(AWG) of the International Union of Geological Sciences(IUGS) subsequently considered the proposal, and in July 2023, Crawford Lake in Canada was announced as a candidate site for the GSSP of the Anthropocene, which will become an official geologic epoch if approved at the IUGS Council meeting in Korea in August 2024. The lower boundary GSSP of the Anthropocene is set at 1950, the beginning time of the Great Acceleration, when the rate of change of the Earth's natural systems begins to increase rapidly due to the rapid increase in human socioeconomic activity. The main marker for boundary recognition was the increase in radioactive element associated with nuclear testing. The main characteristics of the boundary are based on human activity as the cause of global environmental change and that its time span is extremely short compared to other geochronological age units.
The age range of the Anthropocene is 74 years. This age range is a subject that the general public, even those outside the earth sciences, can recognize with a normal sense of perception. This indicates that the Anthropocene is a good material for bridging the time gap between our daily lives and geological phenomena. For example, the Noto Peninsula earthquake of January 1, 2024, instantly uplifted the coast by 4 m, forming marine terraces and causing major damage to the fishing industry, which is an example of the influence of human activities on the geomorphological and geological features that the Geopark deals with. Another issue to be addressed is how to incorporate global phenomena such as global warming into Geopark themes and how to deal with them specifically in each region. The phrase "We are responsible for creating the geological strata of the future" proposed by the Japan Geoparks Network in its "Journey of Earth Time" exhibition is symbolic.
Bibliography
Crutzen PJ and Stoermer EF (2000) The Anthropocene. Global Change Newsletter, 41, 17 - 18.
The Anthropocene was abruptly proposed by Dutch atmospheric chemist Paul Jozef Crutzen at a meeting in Mexico in 2000 to summarize the first phase of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) (Crutzen and Stoermer Crutzen and Stoermer, 2000). The Working Group on the Anthropocene(AWG) of the International Union of Geological Sciences(IUGS) subsequently considered the proposal, and in July 2023, Crawford Lake in Canada was announced as a candidate site for the GSSP of the Anthropocene, which will become an official geologic epoch if approved at the IUGS Council meeting in Korea in August 2024. The lower boundary GSSP of the Anthropocene is set at 1950, the beginning time of the Great Acceleration, when the rate of change of the Earth's natural systems begins to increase rapidly due to the rapid increase in human socioeconomic activity. The main marker for boundary recognition was the increase in radioactive element associated with nuclear testing. The main characteristics of the boundary are based on human activity as the cause of global environmental change and that its time span is extremely short compared to other geochronological age units.
The age range of the Anthropocene is 74 years. This age range is a subject that the general public, even those outside the earth sciences, can recognize with a normal sense of perception. This indicates that the Anthropocene is a good material for bridging the time gap between our daily lives and geological phenomena. For example, the Noto Peninsula earthquake of January 1, 2024, instantly uplifted the coast by 4 m, forming marine terraces and causing major damage to the fishing industry, which is an example of the influence of human activities on the geomorphological and geological features that the Geopark deals with. Another issue to be addressed is how to incorporate global phenomena such as global warming into Geopark themes and how to deal with them specifically in each region. The phrase "We are responsible for creating the geological strata of the future" proposed by the Japan Geoparks Network in its "Journey of Earth Time" exhibition is symbolic.
Bibliography
Crutzen PJ and Stoermer EF (2000) The Anthropocene. Global Change Newsletter, 41, 17 - 18.