Human-triggered magnification of erosion rates in European Alps since the Bronze Age
Abstract A major feature of the Anthropocene is the drastic increase in global soil erosion. Soil erosion is threatening Earth habitability not only as soils are an essential component of the Earth system but also because societies depend on soils. However, proper quantification of the impact of hum...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2024-02-01
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| Series: | Nature Communications |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45123-3 |
| _version_ | 1827326952963309568 |
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| author | William Rapuc Charline Giguet-Covex Julien Bouchez Pierre Sabatier Jérôme Gaillardet Kévin Jacq Kim Genuite Jérôme Poulenard Erwan Messager Fabien Arnaud |
| author_facet | William Rapuc Charline Giguet-Covex Julien Bouchez Pierre Sabatier Jérôme Gaillardet Kévin Jacq Kim Genuite Jérôme Poulenard Erwan Messager Fabien Arnaud |
| author_sort | William Rapuc |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract A major feature of the Anthropocene is the drastic increase in global soil erosion. Soil erosion is threatening Earth habitability not only as soils are an essential component of the Earth system but also because societies depend on soils. However, proper quantification of the impact of human activities on erosion over thousands of years is still lacking. This is particularly crucial in mountainous areas, where the highest erosion rates are recorded. Here we use the Lake Bourget catchment, one of the largest in the European Alps, to estimate quantitatively the impact of human activities on erosion. Based on a multi-proxy, source-to-sink approach relying on isotopic geochemistry, we discriminate the effects of climate fluctuations from those of human activities on erosion over the last 10,000 years. We demonstrate that until 3800 years ago, climate is the only driver of erosion. From that time on, climate alone cannot explain the measured rates of erosion. Thanks to an unprecedented regional paleoenvironmental reconstruction, we highlight that the development of pastoralism at high altitudes from the Bronze Age onwards and the extension of agriculture starting in the Middle Ages were key factors in the drastic increase in erosion observed in the Alps. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:52:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d02a6182aa1e460ba7bfcaf088d0f39b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2041-1723 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T14:52:55Z |
| publishDate | 2024-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nature Communications |
| spelling | doaj.art-d02a6182aa1e460ba7bfcaf088d0f39b2024-03-05T19:36:56ZengNature PortfolioNature Communications2041-17232024-02-0115111010.1038/s41467-024-45123-3Human-triggered magnification of erosion rates in European Alps since the Bronze AgeWilliam Rapuc0Charline Giguet-Covex1Julien Bouchez2Pierre Sabatier3Jérôme Gaillardet4Kévin Jacq5Kim Genuite6Jérôme Poulenard7Erwan Messager8Fabien Arnaud9EDYTEM, CNRS, Université Savoie Mont BlancEDYTEM, CNRS, Université Savoie Mont BlancUniversité Paris Cité, Institut de Physique Du Globe de Paris, CNRSEDYTEM, CNRS, Université Savoie Mont BlancUniversité Paris Cité, Institut de Physique Du Globe de Paris, CNRSLaboratoire Commun SpecSolE, Envisol, CNRS, Université Savoie Mont BlancUMR PACEA 5199, CNRS, Université de BordeauxEDYTEM, CNRS, Université Savoie Mont BlancEDYTEM, CNRS, Université Savoie Mont BlancEDYTEM, CNRS, Université Savoie Mont BlancAbstract A major feature of the Anthropocene is the drastic increase in global soil erosion. Soil erosion is threatening Earth habitability not only as soils are an essential component of the Earth system but also because societies depend on soils. However, proper quantification of the impact of human activities on erosion over thousands of years is still lacking. This is particularly crucial in mountainous areas, where the highest erosion rates are recorded. Here we use the Lake Bourget catchment, one of the largest in the European Alps, to estimate quantitatively the impact of human activities on erosion. Based on a multi-proxy, source-to-sink approach relying on isotopic geochemistry, we discriminate the effects of climate fluctuations from those of human activities on erosion over the last 10,000 years. We demonstrate that until 3800 years ago, climate is the only driver of erosion. From that time on, climate alone cannot explain the measured rates of erosion. Thanks to an unprecedented regional paleoenvironmental reconstruction, we highlight that the development of pastoralism at high altitudes from the Bronze Age onwards and the extension of agriculture starting in the Middle Ages were key factors in the drastic increase in erosion observed in the Alps.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45123-3 |
| spellingShingle | William Rapuc Charline Giguet-Covex Julien Bouchez Pierre Sabatier Jérôme Gaillardet Kévin Jacq Kim Genuite Jérôme Poulenard Erwan Messager Fabien Arnaud Human-triggered magnification of erosion rates in European Alps since the Bronze Age Nature Communications |
| title | Human-triggered magnification of erosion rates in European Alps since the Bronze Age |
| title_full | Human-triggered magnification of erosion rates in European Alps since the Bronze Age |
| title_fullStr | Human-triggered magnification of erosion rates in European Alps since the Bronze Age |
| title_full_unstemmed | Human-triggered magnification of erosion rates in European Alps since the Bronze Age |
| title_short | Human-triggered magnification of erosion rates in European Alps since the Bronze Age |
| title_sort | human triggered magnification of erosion rates in european alps since the bronze age |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-45123-3 |
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