River Systems and the Anthropocene: A Late Pleistocene and Holocene Timeline for Human Influence

Martin R Gibling

doi:10.3390/quat1030021

Abstract

Rivers are central to debate about the Anthropocene because many human activities from antiquity focused on channels and floodplains. A literature compilation for the onset of human modification of rivers identifies six stages that represent key innovations focused in the Near East and adjoining areas: (1) minimal effects before about 15,000 cal yr BP, with the use of fire and gathering of plants and aquatic resources; (2) minor effects from increased cultivation after about 15,000 cal yr BP, with plant and animal domestication after about 10,700 cal yr BP; (3) agricultural era after about 9800 cal yr BP, with legacy sediments, widespread fire use, the first dams and irrigation, and mud-brick manufacture; (4) irrigation era from about 6500 cal yr BP, with large-scale irrigation, major cities, the first large dam, urban water supplies, expanded groundwater use, river fleets, and alluvial mining; (5) engineering era with embankments, dams, and watermills after about 3000 cal yr BP, especially in the Chinese and Roman empires; and (6) technological era after about 1800 CE. Anthropogenic river effects were more varied and intense than commonly has been recognised, and they should be considered routinely in interpreting Late Pleistocene and Holocene fluvial archives.

Highlights

Humans exert a geomorphic force that rivals that of the natural Earth [1,2]
The period of human dominance has been termed the Anthropocene, and several dates have been proposed for its onset
Anthropogenic activities are often considered as discrete elements, including the use of fire, domestication of plants and animals, soil development, cropland expansion, the establishment of settlements, and irrigation

Summary

Introduction

Humans exert a geomorphic force that rivals that of the natural Earth [1,2]. The period of human dominance has been termed the Anthropocene, and several dates have been proposed for its onset. Important earlier human effects with significant environmental consequences include megafaunal extinctions between 14,000 and 10,500 cal yr BP [12]; domestication of plants and animals close to the start of the Holocene at 11,700 cal yr BP; agricultural practices and deforestation at 10,000 to 5000 cal yr BP; and widespread generation of anthropogenic soils at about 2000 cal yr BP [6,13,14,15,16]. Anthropogenic activities are often considered as discrete elements, including the use of fire, domestication of plants and animals, soil development, cropland expansion, the establishment of settlements, and irrigation. They are all affected by, and contribute to, the dynamics of nearby rivers, and it is important to consider them in a holistic environmental and geomorphic context

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Conclusion