Introduction to the Anthropocene Sediment Network - Catherine Russell

Introducing the Anthropocene Sediment Network

• 💡 The Anthropocene Sediment Network (ASN) aims to empower community-driven solutions for a changing planet.
• 🎯 It broadly defines “sediment” as anything that moves on Earth, from sand to human-made devices, and “Anthropocene” as the present era.
• 🤝 The network fosters interdisciplinary collaboration and dialogue to advance research on our planet's unique dynamics.

The Genesis of ASN and Key Research

• 🧠 Founder Catherine Russell's background in geology led to experiments revealing how human influence changes natural processes.
• 🔬 Early research demonstrated that plastic pieces in riverbeds cause unpredictable bedform behavior and collapse, altering fundamental geological expectations.
• 🔑 This highlighted the need to classify anthropogenic materials like plastic as sediment and develop consistent terminology for their study.

Understanding Causal Stories and Interdisciplinary Needs

• 🔍 A critical aspect is understanding the causal story—how materials enter environments—to enable meaningful investigation and hypothesis testing.
• 🌐 The ASN emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to grasp the baselines, physical influences, and the complex human-earth interface.
• ⚖️ It's essential to consider both uniformitarianism (process continuity) and differences (spatial/temporal discordance, overarching forces like human impact and climate change).

Bridging Disciplinary Gaps

• 💬 The network addresses a “communication deficit” between disciplines, recognizing diverse ways knowledge is obtained and communicated (e.g., papers, books, art).
• 💡 The core “experiment” of ASN is to consider everything that moves on Earth's surface as sediment, bridging physical and social studies.
• 🌍 This approach helps understand both physical and social forcings impacting the environment, as all interactions occur on a shared landscape.

Engaging with the ASN Community

• ✅ The ASN empowers its community by providing access to resources and supporting disciplinary use of the network.
• 📧 Members can sign up on the website for a mailing list to receive information, opportunities, and calls for collaboration.
• 📚 The network actively supports ongoing collaborative ventures, including projects that will result in books.