Predictability of biomass burning in response to climate changes

Daniau, AL; Bartlein, PJ; Harrison, SP; Prentice, IC; Brewer, S; Friedlingstein, P; Harrison-Prentice, TI; Inoue, J; Izumi, K; Marlon, JR; Mooney, S; Power, MJ; Stevenson, J; Tinner, Willy; Andric, M; Atanassova, J; Behling, H; Black, M; Blarquez, O; Brown, KJ; ... (2012). Predictability of biomass burning in response to climate changes. Global biogeochemical cycles, 26(4), n/a-n/a. Washington, D.C.: American Geophysical Union 10.1029/2011GB004249

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Climate is an important control on biomass burning, but the sensitivity of fire to changes in temperature and moisture balance has not been quantified. We analyze sedimentary charcoal records to show that the changes in fire regime over the past 21,000 yrs are predictable from changes in regional climates. Analyses of paleo- fire data show that fire increases monotonically with changes in temperature and peaks at intermediate moisture levels, and that temperature is quantitatively the most important driver of changes in biomass burning over the past 21,000 yrs. Given that a similar relationship between climate drivers and fire emerges from analyses of the interannual variability in biomass burning shown by remote-sensing observations of month-by-month burnt area between 1996 and 2008, our results signal a serious cause for concern in the face of continuing global warming.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS) > Palaeoecology
08 Faculty of Science > Department of Biology > Institute of Plant Sciences (IPS)

UniBE Contributor:

Tinner, Willy, Colombaroli, Daniele

ISSN:

0886-6236

Publisher:

American Geophysical Union

Language:

English

Submitter:

Peter Alfred von Ballmoos-Haas

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 14:41

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:12

Publisher DOI:

10.1029/2011GB004249

Web of Science ID:

000310341500002

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.16931

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/16931 (FactScience: 224637)

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