人类活动已经成为塑造地表的最重要营力，而且正在形成其特征的沉积记录，它们能否作为开启“人新世”新纪元的地层学证据引起广泛关注。海岸带是受人类活动影响最显著的区域，也是全球变化的重要脆弱区，如何实现其可持续发展成为全球关注的焦点。三沙湾是一个封闭性很高的基岩港湾，相对简单的自然营力和近期不断增强的人类活动形成鲜明对比，这两种作用形成的沉积记录容易区分，且均可以得到较好的保存，是开展人新世沉积学和地层学研究的绝佳天然实验室。申请课题拟综合运用动力学、环境海洋学、生物地球化学和沉积学等多学科交叉方法，通过关键性断面的现场水文环境调查，取样进行室内测试和数值分析，精细刻画养殖活动和互花米草入侵对海湾生态环境造成的影响，包括过程、机制和沉积记录，提炼出区域性人新世地层学的判别标志，并确定其初始层位与年龄；结合蓝碳计划和蓝色经济理念，提出兼顾海岸生态环境保护和社会经济可持续发展的方案建议。

Human activity has become a major agent to shape the earth surface, resulting in its characteristic sedimentary record. Whether the stratic evidence is enough to kick off a new era “Anthropocene” causes heated debate. The coastal zone is an area with highest impacts by human activities, and is also the most vulnerable region in response to global change, so its sustainable development has attracted great concern. Sansha Bay is a highly enclosed rocky embayment with absolutely tidal dominance, but now undergoes increasing impacts of human activities. They both produce quite different sedimentary records which are high potential to be well preserved, so it is an excellent natural laboratory to study anthropocene sedimentology and stratigraphy. Multiple methods will be involved in this study, including hydrodynamics, environmental oceanography, biogeochemistry and sedimentology. Some selected sections will be investigated in detail by hydrologic surveys and sampled for laboratory and numerical analyses. We intend to disclose different impacts of aquaculture activities and intensive invasions of Spartina alterniflora on the coastal ecosystems, including their processes, mechanism and resultant sedimentary records. Discriminant criterion will be refined for the comparison study of regional Anthropocene stratigraphy, and its initial boundary will be defined and dated. Take in consideration both blue-carbon and blue-economy strategies, a blueprint will be proposed for regional ecosystem protection and socioeconomic sustainable development.