New Findings of Existence Anthropocene In Recent sediments at Marmara and Black Sea Coasts of Turkey

With each passing day, industrialization, the use of fossil fuels, uncontrolled agriculture and similar human activities are increasing. As a results of these activities, the nature is impacted by a number of changes and anthropogenic pollution. In this study, drilling core samples from the Izmit Bay (IZC-01) in the Sea of Marmara, Surmene (SC-01) and Hopa (HC-01) coasts in the Black Sea have been investigated with lithological, sedimentological, paleontological and geochemical perspectives. The concentrations of heavy metals as Ba, As, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, Ti and Zn were considered from total of 45 samples which are covering 15 samples from each three cores. PLI (Pollution load index) values are calculated by using the results of Ba, Pb, Cd, Cr, Ni, and Zn elements, stand out 1.417 for the Gulf of Izmit, 0,715 and 0,592 for Surmene and Hopa in respectively. PLI values indicate accepted level of pollution above for the Gulf of Izmit and below in the Surmene and Hopa. The abundance and diversity of paleontological records in the cores are also compatible in line with the decreasing and increasing rate of pollution. Towards the deepest part of the 3 cores, a reduction in the concentrations of elements such as Pb, Zn, Cr and As is seen, and common levels that give anomalies of this reduction set to the possible sedimentation rate of the cores; consequently, Surmene and Hopa cores close to each other 330 to 530 years, in the Gulf of Izmit core 250 to 330 years. Because of these age ranges overlap with opinions in the literature which are related to the beginning of Antropocene, these clearly observed levels have been interpreted as the limit of the possible Anthropocene time.

Keywords: Heavy metal analysis, anthropogenic pollution, Anthropocene, Black Sea, Sea of Marmara