[Coral-List] Register for ICRS 20 workshop S16 'Coral reefs in the Anthropocene'

[Jens Zinke]

Dear Colleagues,

Please consider to register for the workshop S17 at the ICRS 2020 in Bremen
held on July 5th. Workshop S16 is entitled "Which characteristics define
coral reefs in the Anthropocene" co-organised by Jens Zinke, Reinhold
Leinfelder, Nicolas Duprey and Georg Heiss.

In this workshop we like to bring the coral paleoclimate, coral ecology and
ecostratigraphic community together to discuss the suitability of corals
and reefs to define the start of the Anthropocene. We will outline the
current plans for the formalisation of the term Anthropocene as a new
chronostratigraphic geological unit. We like to encourage critical
discussions on most suitable sites, proxy systems, techniques and modeling
approaches to be used, and the best definition of a GSSP boundary for the
Anthropocene.

Extended Abstract
Many geo-ecosystems around the world are increasingly modified by Humans.
Coral Reefs are no exception. Geologists are currently debating the
formalisation of the term Anthropocene as a new chronostratigraphic
geological unit. The selection of a Global Boundary Stratotype Section and
Point (GSSP) candidate section for the Anthropocene is a requirement in
seeking formalisation of the term as a potential new unit of
the International Chronostratigraphic Chart. Currently, the GSSP candidate
sites and archives are chosen by an international working group that will
strive to provide compelling evidence for a transition from the Holocene to
the Anthropocene. All sections will be in borehole/drill cores, most
showing annually resolved laminations that can be independently dated
radiometrically to confirm a complete succession extending back to
pre-Industrial times. Airborne signals provide the most geographically
widespread and near-isochronous proxies, applicable across most of these
environments, which are expected to provide distinctive markers at around
the mid-20th century, the preferred start/base of the Anthropocene. The
question arises if coral reefs provide clear Anthropocene markers which set
them apart from previous reef development stages in Earth history. Coral
skeletal proxy archives are a prime GSSP boundary candidate from the
tropical oceans due to their yearly growth banding providing highly precise
age control over several centuries locking a suite of geochemical
information into their skeleton (Waters et al., 2018). Corals have been
shown to record climatic and environmental change over several decades to
centuries related to natural processes. Furthermore, coral provide
invaluable records of anthropogenic activity, *e.g.* CO2 uptake by the
oceans (Suess effect), radiocarbon bomb spikes, radionuclide distributions,
heavy metal discharge and eutrophication. In addition, the need to better
understand the spatial and temporal ecopattern for the entire spectrum of
recent and subrecent reefs, including “atavistic” reefs (such as
mesotrophic, mesophotic and heat-tolerant reefs), is a prerequisite to
better understand the development of reefs in the future Anthropocene
(Leinfelder, 2019). In this workshop we like to bring the coral
paleoclimate and ecostratigraphic community together to discuss the
suitability of corals and reefs to define the start of the Anthropocene, to
better understand resilience and adaptability of reefs and to develop
scenarios for the future of reefs.  We like to encourage critical
discussions on most suitable sites, proxy systems, techniques and modeling
approaches to be used, and the best definition of a GSSP boundary for the
Anthropocene.

We are looking forward to welcome you at the workshop!

Best regards,
Jens, Reinhold, Nicolas and Georg
-- 


*Jens Zinke    Professor in Palaeobiology*

*Royal Society Wolfson Fellow*

School of Geography, Geology and the Environment

Bennett Building

University of Leicester,
University Road, Leicester, LE1 7RH, UK