Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grant: Geological Analysis To Determine Environmental Change

博士论文研究改进补助金：通过地质分析确定环境变化

• 批准号: 1458136
• 负责人: Tristram Kidder
• 金额: $ 2.01万
• 依托单位: Washington University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1458136&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Doctoral; Dissertation; Research; Improvement; Grant

According to researchers, humans have entered the Anthropocene - a period of time when human action dominates natural processes. Yet, no one is quite sure when or how humans have arrived at this critical junction in time. Some researchers argue that the Anthropocene is recent, while others argue that it is thousands of years old. Archaeology is well situated to resolve this debate and provide historical insight into this problem. In particular, the investigators will use the early and rich archaeological record of China to better document the origins of the Anthropocene. This study uses a series of buried soils as a record of ancient environmental conditions, helping to put environmental changes now happening in China in a historical context. As part of this project, the investigators will help train Chinese collaborators interested in build the first reference collection of archaeologically important soil samples collected from Henan, China. The investigators will foster an exchange of perspectives, knowledge, and data between Chinese and American scholars necessary to answer this problem. Under the direction of Dr. Tristram Kidder, Mr. Michael Storozum will use an extraordinarily preserved record of buried soils in Neihuang County, Henan, China to better document the origins of the Anthropocene to answer this specific research question. From two localities in Neihuang County, Anshang and Sanyangzhuang, the investigators will collect and analyze a continuous series of samples with a variety of scientific methods including X-ray florescence, electron microprobe, grain size distribution analysis, loss-on-ignition, magnetic susceptibility, and soil micromorphology to identify signatures of past human land use. Additionally, the investigators will refine the chronology at both Sanyangzhuang and Anshang with accelerator mass spectrometry dating of radiocarbon samples. By identifying signatures of past human land use, the investigators will be able to assess how humans transformed the natural environment of ten thousand years ago into the environments of the Anthropocene. This project will provide the data for Mr. Storozum's doctoral dissertation.

根据研究人员的说法，人类进入了人类世 - 人类行动主导自然过程的一段时间。但是，没有人很确定人类何时或如何及时到达这个关键的路口。一些研究人员认为，人类世界是最近的，而另一些研究人员则认为它已经有了数千年的历史。考古学非常适合解决这一辩论，并为这个问题提供了历史见解。特别是，调查人员将利用中国的早期和丰富的考古记录来更好地记录人类世的起源。这项研究使用一系列被埋葬的土壤作为古老的环境条件的记录，有助于在历史背景下在中国发生环境变化。作为该项目的一部分，调查人员将帮助培训有兴趣建立从中国河南收集的考古学重要土壤样本的首次参考的中国合作者。调查人员将促进回答这个问题所需的中国和美国学者之间的观点，知识和数据。在特里斯特拉姆·基德（Tristram Kidder）博士的指导下，迈克尔·斯托苏姆（Michael Storozum）先生将在中国河南河南县尼瓦县（Neihuang County）使用埋藏的土壤的标记记录，以更好地记录人类世的起源，以回答这一特定的研究问题。研究人员将从Neihuang县的两个地区，Anshang和Sanyangzhuang的两个地区收集和分析一系列连续的样品，这些样品具有多种科学方法，包括X射线荧光，电子微探针，谷物尺寸分布分析，损失，磁性易感性，磁性易感性和土壤微型形态，以确定过去人类土地土地使用的信号。此外，研究人员将通过放射性碳样品的加速器质谱测定法，在Sanyangzhuang和Anshang的年表中完善年表。通过确定过去人类土地使用的签名，研究人员将能够评估人类如何将一万年前的自然环境转变为人类世的环境。该项目将为Storozum先生的博士学位论文提供数据。