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Wildfire responses to abrupt climate change in North America

Wildfire responses to abrupt climate change in North America
Wildfire responses to abrupt climate change in North America
It is widely accepted, based on data from the last few decades and
on model simulations, that anthropogenic climate change will
cause increased fire activity. However, less attention has been paid
to the relationship between abrupt climate changes and heightened
fire activity in the paleorecord. We use 35 charcoal and pollen
records to assess how fire regimes in North America changed
during the last glacial–interglacial transition (15 to 10 ka), a time of
large and rapid climate changes. We also test the hypothesis that
a comet impact initiated continental-scale wildfires at 12.9 ka; the
data do not support this idea, nor are continent-wide fires indicated
at any time during deglaciation. There are, however, clear
links between large climate changes and fire activity. Biomass
burning gradually increased from the glacial period to the beginning
of the Younger Dryas. Although there are changes in biomass
burning during the Younger Dryas, there is no systematic trend.
There is a further increase in biomass burning after the Younger
Dryas. Intervals of rapid climate change at 13.9, 13.2, and 11.7 ka
are marked by large increases in fire activity. The timing of changes
in fire is not coincident with changes in human population density
or the timing of the extinction of the megafauna. Although these
factors could have contributed to fire-regime changes at individual
sites or at specific times, the charcoal data indicate an important
role for climate, and particularly rapid climate change, in determining
broad-scale levels of fire activity.
biomass burning, charcoal, comet, younger dryas
0027-8424
2519-2525
Marlon, J.R.
78b0388a-4510-4364-93fd-0771b7e673e5
Bartlein, P.J.
ea489709-789d-4cd0-bd48-36b4e21194df
Walsh, M.K.
c97ed716-ba42-46f2-99bb-e7c1cb80c9e5
Harrison, S.P.
4f5430e7-d28e-417b-981f-b80dcce600f1
Brown, K.J.
5dba0ba5-a074-44fb-b9d9-78b84ee1d611
Edwards, M.E.
4b6a3389-f3a4-4933-b8fd-acdfef72200e
Higuera, P.E.
c84e7ca6-b62a-43eb-8470-c151d5818e39
Power, M.J.
2dd79668-3bf5-4532-8c08-e317d8686be6
Anderson, R.S.
89e1d18b-b508-4df5-bfc5-865c94827f98
Briles, C.
c6a4a4fe-9661-440b-ace4-41691a4a6d76
Brunelle, A.
194c9a14-2658-476c-8da1-7de4feb48c7b
Carcaillet, C.
f653fca0-8699-4e31-832f-3bbb4c028165
Daniels, M.
e3984a06-3c8f-4ac6-8a0d-f7824fc3cd22
Hu, F.S.
d5b126b6-7f0c-4836-9b2c-5bc4699a52cc
Lavoie, M.
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Long, C.
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Minckley, T.
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Richard, P.J.H.
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Scott, A.C.
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Shafer, D.S.
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Tinner, W.
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Umbanhowar, C.E.
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Whitlock, C.
fe8a26c2-94db-4b48-887b-f38d7e9ffc7d
Marlon, J.R.
78b0388a-4510-4364-93fd-0771b7e673e5
Bartlein, P.J.
ea489709-789d-4cd0-bd48-36b4e21194df
Walsh, M.K.
c97ed716-ba42-46f2-99bb-e7c1cb80c9e5
Harrison, S.P.
4f5430e7-d28e-417b-981f-b80dcce600f1
Brown, K.J.
5dba0ba5-a074-44fb-b9d9-78b84ee1d611
Edwards, M.E.
4b6a3389-f3a4-4933-b8fd-acdfef72200e
Higuera, P.E.
c84e7ca6-b62a-43eb-8470-c151d5818e39
Power, M.J.
2dd79668-3bf5-4532-8c08-e317d8686be6
Anderson, R.S.
89e1d18b-b508-4df5-bfc5-865c94827f98
Briles, C.
c6a4a4fe-9661-440b-ace4-41691a4a6d76
Brunelle, A.
194c9a14-2658-476c-8da1-7de4feb48c7b
Carcaillet, C.
f653fca0-8699-4e31-832f-3bbb4c028165
Daniels, M.
e3984a06-3c8f-4ac6-8a0d-f7824fc3cd22
Hu, F.S.
d5b126b6-7f0c-4836-9b2c-5bc4699a52cc
Lavoie, M.
18f424b9-4265-4fdd-a6e1-e5f40180cafa
Long, C.
0b946773-8b6c-4745-b3ec-245a43320db1
Minckley, T.
a4c751b1-f74c-4969-b5eb-447e1fc7c438
Richard, P.J.H.
9e4a99b8-7484-467c-bd53-47eb9eb3e90e
Scott, A.C.
686c1aa9-0344-487a-8c8a-5ae612bd1038
Shafer, D.S.
02c7e92f-1507-4bb3-bea3-ace657560b12
Tinner, W.
585a78f7-be40-4755-9ed4-2a7bd57e8893
Umbanhowar, C.E.
1bbf1609-2810-453b-a342-804ce72899ca
Whitlock, C.
fe8a26c2-94db-4b48-887b-f38d7e9ffc7d

Marlon, J.R., Bartlein, P.J., Walsh, M.K., Harrison, S.P., Brown, K.J., Edwards, M.E., Higuera, P.E., Power, M.J., Anderson, R.S., Briles, C., Brunelle, A., Carcaillet, C., Daniels, M., Hu, F.S., Lavoie, M., Long, C., Minckley, T., Richard, P.J.H., Scott, A.C., Shafer, D.S., Tinner, W., Umbanhowar, C.E. and Whitlock, C. (2009) Wildfire responses to abrupt climate change in North America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106 (8), 2519-2525. (doi:10.1073/pnas.0808212106).

Record type: Article

Abstract

It is widely accepted, based on data from the last few decades and
on model simulations, that anthropogenic climate change will
cause increased fire activity. However, less attention has been paid
to the relationship between abrupt climate changes and heightened
fire activity in the paleorecord. We use 35 charcoal and pollen
records to assess how fire regimes in North America changed
during the last glacial–interglacial transition (15 to 10 ka), a time of
large and rapid climate changes. We also test the hypothesis that
a comet impact initiated continental-scale wildfires at 12.9 ka; the
data do not support this idea, nor are continent-wide fires indicated
at any time during deglaciation. There are, however, clear
links between large climate changes and fire activity. Biomass
burning gradually increased from the glacial period to the beginning
of the Younger Dryas. Although there are changes in biomass
burning during the Younger Dryas, there is no systematic trend.
There is a further increase in biomass burning after the Younger
Dryas. Intervals of rapid climate change at 13.9, 13.2, and 11.7 ka
are marked by large increases in fire activity. The timing of changes
in fire is not coincident with changes in human population density
or the timing of the extinction of the megafauna. Although these
factors could have contributed to fire-regime changes at individual
sites or at specific times, the charcoal data indicate an important
role for climate, and particularly rapid climate change, in determining
broad-scale levels of fire activity.

This record has no associated files available for download.

More information

Published date: 24 February 2009
Keywords: biomass burning, charcoal, comet, younger dryas
Organisations: Geography

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 150903
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/150903
ISSN: 0027-8424
PURE UUID: 76eb4a66-b1cb-4dfe-a0a6-8fd2032f0c40
ORCID for M.E. Edwards: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-3490-6682

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 06 May 2010 14:18
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:47

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Contributors

Author: J.R. Marlon
Author: P.J. Bartlein
Author: M.K. Walsh
Author: S.P. Harrison
Author: K.J. Brown
Author: M.E. Edwards ORCID iD
Author: P.E. Higuera
Author: M.J. Power
Author: R.S. Anderson
Author: C. Briles
Author: A. Brunelle
Author: C. Carcaillet
Author: M. Daniels
Author: F.S. Hu
Author: M. Lavoie
Author: C. Long
Author: T. Minckley
Author: P.J.H. Richard
Author: A.C. Scott
Author: D.S. Shafer
Author: W. Tinner
Author: C.E. Umbanhowar
Author: C. Whitlock

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