Plutonium in coral archives: A good primarymarker for an Anthropocene type section

Whilewe officially live in the Holocene epoch, global warming and many other impacts of global change have led to the proposal and wide adoption of the Anthropocene to define the present geological epoch. The Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) established that it should be treated as a formal stratigr...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Sánchez Cabeza, Joan Albert, Rico Esenaro, Serguei Damián, Corcho Alvarado, José Antonio, Röllin, Stefan, Carricart Ganivet, Juan P., Montagna, Paolo, Ruiz Fernández, Ana Carolina, Cearreta Bilbao, Alejandro
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2021
País:España
Institución:Universidad del País Vasco
Repositorio:Addi. Archivo Digital para la Docencia y la Investigación
OAI Identifier:oai:addi.ehu.eus:10810/72837
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10810/72837
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:coral records
Caribbean Sea
environmental radioactivity
plutonium isotopes
global change
Descripción
Sumario:Whilewe officially live in the Holocene epoch, global warming and many other impacts of global change have led to the proposal and wide adoption of the Anthropocene to define the present geological epoch. The Anthropocene Working Group (AWG) established that it should be treated as a formal stratigraphic unit, demonstrated by a reference level commonly known as “golden spike”, still under discussion. Here we show that the onset of bomb-derived plutonium recorded in two banded massive corals from the Caribbean Sea is consistent (1955–1956 CE), so sites far from nuclear testing grounds are potentially suitable to host a type section of the Anthropocene. Coastal coral demonstration sites are feasible, could foster economic development, and may serve as focal points for scientific dissemination and environmental education.