Author
Philip L. Gibbard
Other affiliations: University of Oulu, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, University of Western Ontario ...read more
Bio: Philip L. Gibbard is an academic researcher from Scott Polar Research Institute. The author has contributed to research in topics: Pleistocene & Glacial period. The author has an hindex of 60, co-authored 233 publications receiving 14124 citations. Previous affiliations of Philip L. Gibbard include University of Oulu & Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań.
Topics: Pleistocene, Glacial period, Quaternary, Interglacial, Fluvial
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
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TL;DR: The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) has a long tradition of producing international charts that communicate higher-order divisions of geological time and actual knowledge on the absolute numerical ages of their boundaries as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: The International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) has a long tradition of producing international charts that communicate higher-order divisions of geological time and actual knowledge on the absolute numerical ages of their boundaries. The primary objective of ICS is to define precisely a global standard set of time-correlative units (Systems, Series, and Stages) for stratigraphic successions worldwide. These units are, in turn, the basis for the Periods, Epochs and Ages of the Geological Time Scale. Setting an international global standard is fundamental for expressing geological knowledge. It is also of considerable pragmatic importance as it provides the framework through which regional-scale higher-resolution divisions can be linked, equated and collated. This is a status update on the International Chronostratigraphic Chart and the ICS website www.stratigraphy.org.
2,164 citations
Book•
01 Jan 2004
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present an up-to-date, detailed overview of the Quaternary glaciations all over the world, not only with regard to stratigraphy but also with regards to major glacial landforms and the extent of the respective ice sheets.
Abstract: The book presents an up-to-date, detailed overview of the Quaternary glaciations all over the world, not only with regard to stratigraphy but also with regard to major glacial landforms and the extent of the respective ice sheets. The locations of key sites are included. The information is presented in digital, uniformly prepared maps which can be used in a Geographical Information System (GIS) such as ArcView or ArcGIS. The accompanying text supplies the information on how the data were obtained (geomorphology, geological mapping, air photograph evaluation, satellite imagery), how the features were dated (14C, TL, relative stratigraphy) and how reliable they are supposed to be. All references to the underlying basic publications are included. Where controversial interpretations are possible e.g. in Siberia or Tibet, this is pointed out. As a result, the information on Quaternary glaciations worldwide will be much improved and supplied in a uniform digital format. The information on the glacial limits is compiled in digital form by the coordinators of the project. It is completely updated detailed coverage of worldwide Quaternary glaciations. It offers information in digital, uniformly prepared maps which can be used in a GIS such as ArcView or ArcGis. It provides step-by-step guideline how to open and use ArcGis files. It is possible to convert the shapefiles into GoogleEarth kmz-files. It includes availability of chronological controls.
990 citations
TL;DR: The term Anthropocene has been proposed and increasingly employed to denote the current interval of anthropogenic global environmental change as mentioned in this paper, which is considered as a formal epoch in that, since the start of the Industrial Revolution, Earth has endured changes sufficient to leave a global stratigraphic signature distinct from that of the Holocene or of previous Pleistocene interglacial phases, encompassing novel biotic, sedimentary and geochemical change.
Abstract: The term Anthropocene, proposed and increasingly employed to denote the current interval of anthropogenic global environmental change, may be discussed on stratigraphic grounds. A case can be made for its consideration as a formal epoch in that, since the start of the Industrial Revolution, Earth has endured changes sufficient to leave a global stratigraphic signature distinct from that of the Holocene or of previous Pleistocene interglacial phases, encompassing novel biotic, sedimentary, and geochemical change. These changes, although likely only in their initial phases, are sufficiently distinct and robustly established for suggestions of a Holocene–Anthropocene boundary in the recent historical past to be geologically reasonable. The boundary may be defined either via Global Stratigraphic Section and Point (“golden spike”) locations or by adopting a numerical date. Formal adoption of this term in the near future will largely depend on its utility, particularly to earth scientists working on late Holocene successions. This datum, from the perspective of the far future, will most probably approximate a distinctive stratigraphic boundary.
619 citations
TL;DR: In 2009, the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) formally ratified a proposal by the International Commission on Stratigraphy to lower the base of the Quaternary System/Period to the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Gelasian Stage/Age at Monte San Nicola, Sicily, Italy as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: In June 2009, the Executive Committee of the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) formally ratified a proposal by the International Commission on Stratigraphy to lower the base of the Quaternary System/Period to the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Gelasian Stage/Age at Monte San Nicola, Sicily, Italy. The Gelasian until then had been the uppermost stage of the Pliocene Series/Epoch. The base of the Gelasian corresponds to Marine Isotope Stage 103, and has an astronomically tuned age of 2.58 Ma. A proposal that the base of the Pleistocene Series/Epoch be lowered to coincide with that of the Quaternary (the Gelasian GSSP) was also accepted by the IUGS Executive Committee. The GSSP at Vrica, Calabria, Italy, which had hitherto defined the basal boundary of both the Quaternary and the Pleistocene, remains available as the base of the Calabrian Stage/Age (now the second stage of the revised Pleistocene). In ratifying these proposals, the IUGS has acknowledged the distinctive qualities of the Quaternary by reaffirming it as a full system/period, correctly complied with the hierarchical requirements of the geological timescale by lowering the base of the Pleistocene to that of the Quaternary, and fully respected the historical and widespread current usage of both the terms 'Quaternary' and 'Pleistocene'. Copyright # 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
613 citations
University of Wales, Lampeter1, University of Copenhagen2, Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research3, University of Cambridge4, Utrecht University5, Royal Holloway, University of London6, University of Colorado Boulder7, Lund University8, University of New Brunswick9, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution10, Monash University11, Heidelberg University12, University of Bonn13, University of Waikato14, University of Newcastle15, University of Plymouth16, University of Bern17
TL;DR: The Greenland ice core from NorthGRIP (NGRIP) contains a proxy climate record across the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary of unprecedented clarity and resolution, which enables the base of the Holocene, as reflected in the first signs of climatic warming at the end of the Younger Dryas/Greenland Stadial 1 cold phase, to be located with a high degree of precision as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The Greenland ice core from NorthGRIP (NGRIP) contains a proxy climate record across the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary of unprecedented clarity and resolution. Analysis of an array of physical and chemical parameters within the ice enables the base of the Holocene, as reflected in the first signs of climatic warming at the end of the Younger Dryas/Greenland Stadial 1 cold phase, to be located with a high degree of precision. This climatic event is most clearly reflected in an abrupt shift in deuterium excess values, accompanied by more gradual changes in d 18 O, dust concentration, a range of chemical species, and annual layer thickness. A timescale based on multi-parameter annual layer counting provides an age of 11 700 calendar yr b2 k (before AD 2000) for the base of the Holocene, with a maximum counting error of 99 yr. A proposal that an archived core from this unique sequence should constitute the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Holocene Series/Epoch (Quaternary System/Period) has been ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences. Five auxiliary stratotypes for the Pleistocene-Holocene boundary have also been recognised. Copyright # 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
534 citations
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City College of New York1, University of Wisconsin-Madison2, University of Michigan3, Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology4, University of Hong Kong5, University of New Hampshire6, Griffith University7, Southern Cross University8, University of Washington9, University of Western Australia10
TL;DR: The first worldwide synthesis to jointly consider human and biodiversity perspectives on water security using a spatial framework that quantifies multiple stressors and accounts for downstream impacts is presented.
Abstract: Protecting the world’s freshwater resources requires diagnosing threats over a broad range of scales, from global to local. Here we present the first worldwide synthesis to jointly consider human and biodiversity perspectives on water security using a spatial framework that quantifies multiple stressors and accounts for downstream impacts. We find that nearly 80% of the world’s population is exposed to high levels of threat to water security. Massive investment in water technology enables rich nations to offset high stressor levels without remedying their underlying causes, whereas less wealthy nations remain vulnerable. A similar lack of precautionary investment jeopardizes biodiversity, with habitats associated with 65% of continental discharge classified as moderately to highly threatened. The cumulative threat framework offers a tool for prioritizing policy and management responses to this crisis, and underscores the necessity of limiting threats at their source instead of through costly remediation of symptoms in order to assure global water security for both humans and freshwater biodiversity.
5,401 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that the debate about the “Age of Humans” is a timely opportunity both to rethink the nature-culture relation and to re-assess the narratives that historians of science, technology, and the environment have written until now.
Abstract: In 2000, when atmospheric chemist Paul J. Crutzen and limnologist Eugene F. Stoermer proposed to introduce a new geological era, the Anthropocene, they could not have foreseen the remarkable career of the new term. Within a few years, the geological community began to investigate the scientific evidence for the concept and established the Anthropocene Working Group. While the Working Group has started to examine possible markers and periodizations of the new epoch, scholars from numerous other disciplines have taken up the Anthropocene as a cultural concept. In addition, the media have developed a deep interest in the Anthropocene's broader societal ramifications. The article sheds light on the controversial debate about the Anthropocene and discusses its inextricably linked dual careers, first as a geological term and second as a cultural term. Third, it argues that the debate about the "Age of Humans" is a timely opportunity both to rethink the nature-culture relation and to re-assess the narratives that historians of science, technology, and the environment have written until now. Specifically, it examines both the heuristic and analytical power of the concept. It discusses new histories, new ideas to understand historical change, and new temporalities shaped by scholars who have taken up the challenge of the Anthropocene as a cultural concept that has the ability to question established stories and narratives. Fourth, it ends by stressing the potential of the Anthropocene concept to blur established epistemological boundaries and to stimulate cross-disciplinary collaborations between the sciences and the humanities.
1,891 citations
TL;DR: Weisman's thought experiment illustrates the historicist paradox that inhabits contemporary moods of anxiety and concern about the finitude of humanity as mentioned in this paper, and it can precipitate a sense of the present that disconnects the future from the past by putting such a future beyond the grasp of historical sensibility.
Abstract: The current planetary crisis of climate change or global warming elicits a variety of responses in individuals, groups, and governments, ranging from denial, disconnect, and indifference to a spirit of engagement and activism of varying kinds and degrees. These responses saturate our sense of the now. Alan Weisman’s best-selling book The World without Us suggests a thought experiment as a way of experiencing our present: “Suppose that the worst has happened. Human extinction is a fait accompli. . . . Picture a world from which we all suddenly vanished. . . . Might we have left some faint, enduring mark on the universe? . . . Is it possible that, instead of heaving a huge biological sigh of relief, the world without us would miss us?”1 I am drawn to Weisman’s experiment as it tellingly demonstrates how the current crisis can precipitate a sense of the present that disconnects the future from the past by putting such a future beyond the grasp of historical sensibility. The discipline of history exists on the assumption that our past, present, and future are connected by a certain continuity of human experience. We normally envisage the future with the help of the same faculty that allows us to picture the past. Weisman’s thought experiment illustrates the historicist paradox that inhabits contemporary moods of anxiety and concern about the finitude of humanity. To go along with Weisman’s experiment, we have to insert ourselves into
1,664 citations
Duke University1, University of Texas at Austin2, Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies3, Xi'an Jiaotong University4, American Museum of Natural History5, Beijing Genomics Institute6, New Mexico State University7, University of Sydney8, University of California9, Uppsala University10, University of Copenhagen11, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology12, University of Georgia13, Griffith University14, Catalan Institution for Research and Advanced Studies15, Oak Ridge National Laboratory16, Joint Institute for Nuclear Research17, Aarhus University18, Washington University in St. Louis19, University of California, Santa Cruz20, Cardiff University21, Kunming Institute of Zoology22, China Agricultural University23, Tulane University24, Louisiana State University25, Copenhagen Zoo26, Oregon Health & Science University27, Federal University of Pará28, Technical University of Denmark29, Canterbury Museum30, Curtin University31, Novosibirsk State University32, Smithsonian Institution33, National University of Singapore34, National Museum of Natural History35, Nova Southeastern University36, Occidental College37, University of Edinburgh38, Harvard University39, University of California, San Francisco40, University of Florida41, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign42
TL;DR: A genome-scale phylogenetic analysis of 48 species representing all orders of Neoaves recovered a highly resolved tree that confirms previously controversial sister or close relationships and identifies the first divergence in Neoaves, two groups the authors named Passerea and Columbea.
Abstract: To better determine the history of modern birds, we performed a genome-scale phylogenetic analysis of 48 species representing all orders of Neoaves using phylogenomic methods created to handle genome-scale data. We recovered a highly resolved tree that confirms previously controversial sister or close relationships. We identified the first divergence in Neoaves, two groups we named Passerea and Columbea, representing independent lineages of diverse and convergently evolved land and water bird species. Among Passerea, we infer the common ancestor of core landbirds to have been an apex predator and confirm independent gains of vocal learning. Among Columbea, we identify pigeons and flamingoes as belonging to sister clades. Even with whole genomes, some of the earliest branches in Neoaves proved challenging to resolve, which was best explained by massive protein-coding sequence convergence and high levels of incomplete lineage sorting that occurred during a rapid radiation after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction event about 66 million years ago.
1,624 citations
TL;DR: The authors reviewed the historical genesis of the Anthropocene Epoch idea and assessed anthropogenic signatures in the geological record against the formal requirements for the recognition of a new epoch, finding that of the various proposed dates two do appear to conform to the criteria to mark the beginning of the anthropocene: 1610 and 1964.
Abstract: Time is divided by geologists according to marked shifts in Earth's state. Recent global environmental changes suggest that Earth may have entered a new human-dominated geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Here we review the historical genesis of the idea and assess anthropogenic signatures in the geological record against the formal requirements for the recognition of a new epoch. The evidence suggests that of the various proposed dates two do appear to conform to the criteria to mark the beginning of the Anthropocene: 1610 and 1964. The formal establishment of an Anthropocene Epoch would mark a fundamental change in the relationship between humans and the Earth system.
1,578 citations