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Event stratigraphy is used to help characterise the Anthropocene as a chronostratigraphic concept, based on analogous deep-time events, for which we provide a novel categorization. Events in stratigraphy are distinct from extensive, time-transgressive ‘episodes’ – such as the global, highly diachronous record of anthropogenic change, termed here an Anthropogenic Modification Episode (AME). Nested within the AME are many geologically correlatable events, the most notable being those of the Great Acceleration Event Array (GAEA). This isochronous array of anthropogenic signals represents brief, unique events evident in geological deposits, e.g.: onset of the radionuclide ‘bomb-spike’; appearance of novel organic chemicals and fuel ash particles; marked changes in patterns of sedimentary deposition, heavy metal contents and carbon/nitrogen isotopic ratios; and ecosystem changes leaving a global fossil record; all around the mid-20th century. The GAEA reflects a fundamental transition of the Earth System to a new state in which many parameters now lie beyond the range of Holocene variability. Globally near-instantaneous events can provide robust primary guides for chronostratigraphic boundaries. Given the intensity, magnitude, planetary significance and global isochroneity of the GAEA, it provides a suitable level for recognition of the base of the Anthropocene as a series/epoch.

The worldwide diversity of contaminated sites, coupled with a scarcity of available land presents a challenge for urban spatial planning and, has led to an increasing political significance for brownfield conservation and reuse to achieve land resource sustainability. In this study, economic or the so-called ‘rebound effects’ of land regeneration are studied via a global meta-analysis on value fluctuation of surrounding property. To this end, a total of 91 observations from 28 HPM (hedonic pricing model) studies were synthesized to conduct a meta-analysis following a conditional random effects procedure. The empirical results indicate that, in line with expectations, the conservation and recycling of land resource indeed generate significant rebound in the implicit price of residential houses, especially for those located within 2 km of contaminated sites. Before land remediation and reuse, dwellings closest in distance to contaminated sites experience the greatest value loss. On average, the depreciation in property values within the first 1 km distance from a contaminated site is about 8.18%, significantly at the 1% level, while the corresponding adverse impact from 1 to 2 km distance is a 4.8% price premium significantly at the 5% level. The significance of the stigma or rebound effects depends on 12 attributes, in which, house age, location, floor area ratio (FAR), and central business district (CBD) variables have the largest impact of −37.38% to 37.5%. From a practical perspective, the findings of this meta-analysis: (1) help refine contributing parameters in HPM studies to evaluate environmental economics; and (2) provide meaningful decision-making support for cost-effective remediation and benefit maximization.

Plastic pollution is a global environmental and human health issue, with plastics now ubiquitous in the environment and biota. Despite extensive international research, key knowledge gaps ("known unknowns") remain around ecosystem-scale and human health impacts of plastics in the environment, particularly in limnetic, coastal and marine systems. Here we review aquatic plastics research in three contrasting geographic and cultural settings, selected to present a gradient of heavily urbanised (and high population density) to less urbanised (and low population density) areas: China, the United Kingdom (UK), and Australia. Research from each country has varying environmental focus (for example, biota-focussed studies in Australia target various bird, fish, turtle and seal species, while UK and China-based studies focus on commercially important organisms such as bivalves, fish and decapods), and uses varying methods and reporting units (e.g. mean, median or range). This has resulted in aquatic plastics datasets that are hard to compare directly, supporting the need to converge on standardised sampling methods, and bioindicator species. While all the study nations show plastics contamination, often at high levels, datasets are variable and do not clearly demonstrate pollution gradients.

The sustainable management of post-industrial coasts is a major emerging issue globally. Along such coasts, there may be a significant legacy of both contaminated land (including historic landfills and non-managed waste disposal) and contaminated sediments in and around urban and industrial areas, which require new strategies for cost-effective and integrated risk management under future sea-level rise and climate change scenarios. Here, we review current approaches to managing contamination in post-industrial coastlines, discuss emerging integrated management strategies (building on low input approaches to sustainable brownfields regeneration) and present an approach and framework for assessing and comparing different scenarios for coastal brownfield regeneration to soft re-use and other end-points. This framework can be applied to explore the opportunities for synergy and realization of wider environmental, economic and societal benefits between coastal protection, dredged material re-use and the management of brownfield land. As such, the approach we propose supports planning and options appraisal to realize maximum benefit and value from integrated coastal management strategies.

Plastics and other artificial materials pose new risks to the health of the ocean. Anthropogenic debris travels across large distances and is ubiquitous in the water and on shorelines, yet, observations of its sources, composition, pathways, and distributions in the ocean are very sparse and inaccurate. Total amounts of plastics and other man-made debris in the ocean and on the shore, temporal trends in these amounts under exponentially increasing production, as well as degradation processes, vertical fluxes, and time scales are largely unknown. Present ocean circulation models are not able to accurately simulate drift of debris because of its complex hydrodynamics. In this paper we discuss the structure of the future integrated marine debris observing system (IMDOS) that is required to provide long-term monitoring of the state of this anthropogenic pollution and support operational activities to mitigate impacts on the ecosystem and on the safety of maritime activity. The proposed observing system integrates remote sensing and in situ observations. Also, models are used to optimize the design of the system and, in turn, they will be gradually improved using the products of the system. Remote sensing technologies will provide spatially coherent coverage and consistent surveying time series at local to global scale. Optical sensors, including high-resolution imaging, multi- and hyperspectral, fluorescence, and Raman technologies, as well as SAR will be used to measure different types of debris. They will be implemented in a variety of platforms, from hand-held tools to ship-, buoy-, aircraft-, and satellite-based sensors. A network of in situ observations, including reports from volunteers, citizen scientists and ships of opportunity, will be developed to provide data for calibration/validation of remote sensors and to monitor the spread of plastic pollution and other marine debris. IMDOS will interact with other observing systems monitoring physical, chemical, and biological processes in the ocean and on shorelines as well as the state of the ecosystem, maritime activities and safety, drift of sea ice, etc. The synthesized data will support innovative multi-disciplinary research and serve a diverse community of users.

Gentle remediation options (GROs) are risk management strategies or technologies involving plant (phyto-), fungi (myco-), and/or bacteria-based methods that result in a net gain (or at least no gross reduction) in soil function as well as effective risk management. GRO strategies can be customised along contaminant linkages, and can generate a range of wider economic, environmental and societal benefits in contaminated land management (and in brownfields management more widely). The application of GROs as practical on-site remedial solutions is still limited however, particularly in Europe and at trace element (typically metal and metalloid) contaminated sites. This paper discusses challenges to the practical adoption of GROs in contaminated land management, and outlines the decision support tools and best practice guidance developed in the European Commission FP7-funded GREENLAND project aimed at overcoming these challenges. The GREENLAND guidance promotes a refocus from phytoremediation to wider GROs- or phyto-management based approaches which place realisation of wider benefits at the core of site design, and where gentle remediation technologies can be applied as part of integrated, mixed, site risk management solutions or as part of “holding strategies” for vacant sites. The combination of GROs with renewables, both in terms of biomass generation but also with green technologies such as wind and solar power, can provide a range of economic and other benefits and can potentially support the return of low-level contaminated sites to productive usage, while combining GROs with urban design and landscape architecture, and integrating GRO strategies with sustainable urban drainage systems and community gardens/parkland (particularly for health and leisure benefits), has large potential for triggering GRO application and in realising wider benefits in urban and suburban systems. Quantifying these wider benefits and value (above standard economic returns) will be important in leveraging funding for GRO application and soft site end-use more widely at vacant or underutilized sites. Further details of the GREENLAND project, and downloadable versions of the GREENLAND decision support tool and GRO best practice guidance, can be found at http://www.greenland-project.eu. The authors are grateful for financial support from the European Commission under the Seventh Framework Programme for Research (FP7-KBBE-266124), and thank the wider GREENLAND consortium and project advisory board for their support and input during the development of the DST and GRO best practice guidance.

Many previous studies have shown that measurements of Pb isotopic compositions provide a powerful tool in determining the origin of Pb in a wide range of environments. In the present study, this method was applied to airborne particulate matter sampled in urban areas from two countries: France and the United Kingdom. Initially, the main potential sources of Pb contamination were defined isotopically. Three important end-members contribute to urban Pb load: the Pb added as an anti-knock agent in gasoline (defined by ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ≈ 1.061-1.094), industrially-derived Pb (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ratios ≈ 1.143-1.155) and « natural/local » Pb (derived from rocks and soils, ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ≈ 1.17-1.20). Urban airborne particulate matter, sampled only a few metres from dense car traffic, yields a wide range of ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb values (1.085 - 1.158), which do not fall entirely within the gasoline domain. As a consequence of recent environmental legislation and increased use of unleaded gasoline, emission of car-derived Pb has been drastically reduced and today, other sources of Pb are important contributors to total Pb, even in urban environments. In addition, this study demonstrates that the contribution of each end-member can vary considerably over the short-term as a Junction of car traffic density and wind direction. On sait depuis longtemps déjà que les isotopes du Pb peuvent être utilisés avec succès pour déterminer l'origine du Pb dans presque tous les écosystèmes. Ici, cette méthode a été appliquée à l'étude des aérosols urbains dans quelques villes françaises et anglaises. La première étape a été de définir isotopiquement les principales sources de Pb. II apparait trois grands groupes: le Pb ajouté comme anti-détonant dans les essences, qui présente des rapports ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ≈ 1.061-1.094, le Pb émis plus généralement par l'activité industrielle avec des ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁷Pb ≈ 1.143-1.155 et le Pb naturellement présent dans les roches et les sols qui montre des valeurs sensiblement plus élevées ≈ 1.17-1.20. Les compositions isotopiques mesurées dans les aérosols urbains, prélevés à seulement quelques mètres d'un intense trafic automobile, montrent une large gamme de variation : 1.085 - 1.158, qui ne reflète pas pleinement la signature observée dans Les essences, comme on aurait pu s'y attendre à priori. Au contraire, à la suite des mesures visant a réduire les émissions de Pb liées aux automobiles, d'autres sources (qu'elles soient industrielles et/ou naturelles) peuvent être identifiées aujourd'hui, même dans un environnement urbain. De plus, cette étude démontre que la proportion de chaque composant peut considérablement varier suivant Les conditions de trafic ou la direction des vents.