Geochemical and isotopic record of anthropogenic activities - Thematic issue dedicated to Jean Carignan (1965-2012). Part 1: Radiogenic isotopes and elemental geochemistry

摘要

Anthropogenic activities are today one of the major factors controlling the evolution of our environment with major consequences on all Earth surface compartments: atmosphere, oceans, continents and biosphere. Such consequences accelerated with the industrial revolution, but probably started much earlier as they are related to the demographic evolution and the settlement of various human communities during the last millennia. They are presently reaching unequal effects all over the globe. Defining precisely present-day and past impacts of anthropogenic activities and forecasting their future impact requires tools to assess their specific effects on our environment. Elemental geochemical and isotopic tools developed in the geosciences appear to be particularly useful for tracing anthropogenic activities.