scholarly journals Effects of vegetation zones and climatic changes on fire-induced atmospheric carbon emissions: a model based on paleodata

2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 1015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurent Bremond ◽  
Christopher Carcaillet ◽  
Charly Favier ◽  
Adam A. Ali ◽  
Cédric Paitre ◽  
...  

An original method is proposed for estimating past carbon emissions from fires in order to understand long-term changes in the biomass burning that, together with vegetation cover, act on the global carbon cycle and climate. The past carbon release resulting from paleo-fires during the Holocene is examined using a simple linear model between measured carbon emissions from modern fires and sedimentary charcoal records of biomass burning within boreal and cold temperate forests in eastern Canada (Quebec, Ontario). Direct carbon emissions are estimated for each ecozone for the present period and the fire anomaly per kilo annum (ka) v. present day (0 ka) deduced from charcoal series of 46 lakes and peats. Over the postglacial, the Taiga Shield ecozone does not match the pattern of fire history and carbon release of Boreal Shield, Atlantic Maritime, and Mixedwood Plains ecozones. This feature results from different air mass influences and the timing of vegetation dynamics. Our estimations show, first, that the contribution of the Mixedwood Plains and the Atlantic Maritime ecozones on the total carbon emissions by fires remains negligible compared with the Boreal Shield. Second, the Taiga Shield plays a key role by maintaining important carbon emissions, given it is today a lower contributor.

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 721 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiaki Goto ◽  
Satoru Suzuki

Emissions from forest fires directly affect the global and regional carbon cycles by increasing atmospheric carbon as well as affecting carbon sequestration by forests. We have estimated the release of total carbon, carbon-based trace gases (CO2, CO, CH4) and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) emitted from forest fires in Japan during a 30-year period from 1979 through 2008. The area burnt varied widely from year to year but has gradually diminished since the 1980s. The mean annual area burnt during the period was 1878 ha. The mean annual estimate of direct carbon emissions from forest fires in Japan was 15.8 Gg C year–1 and ranged between 2.7 and 60.4 Gg C year–1. The mean annual trace gas emissions were 49.4 Gg CO2 year–1, 3.4 Gg CO year–1, 0.15 Gg CH4 year–1 and 0.18 Gg NMHC year–1. Although the carbon emissions varied widely from year to year based on the area burnt, they decreased dramatically from the 1980s onward. The interannual variations in trace gases parallel the total carbon emissions. The direct emissions from forest fires in Japan were substantially lower compared with the mean annual net primary production of Japanese forests or the carbon release in other countries and regions. However, the average annual carbon released per unit area burnt was comparable to that estimated in other regions and rose gradually with the increasing age of plantations.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher Carcaillet ◽  
Benjamin Boulley ◽  
Frédérique Carcaillet

Abstract Background: The present article questions the relative importance of local- and large-scale processes on the long-term dynamics of fire in the subalpine belt in the western Alps. The study is based on soil charcoal dating and identification, several study sites in contrasting environmental conditions, and sampling of soil charcoal along the elevation gradient of each site. Based on local differences in biomass combustion, we hypothesize that local-scale processes have driven the fire history, while combustion homogeneity supports the hypothesis of the importance of large-scale processes, especially the climate. Results: The results show that biomass burning during the Holocene resulted from the nesting effects of climate, land use, and altitude, but was little influenced by topography (slope exposure: north versus south), soil (dryness, pH, depth), and vegetation. The mid-Holocene (6500–2700 cal BP) was an important period for climatic biomass burning in the subalpine ecosystems of the western Alps, while fires from about 2500 years ago appear much more episodic, prompting us to speculate that human society has played a vital role in their occurrence. Conclusion: Our working hypothesis assuming that the strength of mountain natural and local drivers should offset the effects of regional climate is not validated. The homogeneity of the fire regime between sites thus underscore that climate was the main driver during the Holocene of the western Alps. Long-term subalpine fires are controlled by climate at millennial scale. Local conditions count for little in determining variability at the century scale. The mid-Holocene was a chief period for climatic biomass burning in the subalpine zone, while fires during the late Holocene appear much more episodic, prompting the assumption that societal drivers has exercised key roles on their control.


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_6) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Curtis ◽  
H Parwaiz ◽  
C Winkworth ◽  
L Sweeting ◽  
L Pallant ◽  
...  

Abstract Aim The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a focus on non-face to face (NF2F) orthopaedic clinics. Our aim was to establish whether NF2F clinics were sustainable according to the ‘Triple Bottom Line’ framework by taking account of the impact on patients, the planet and financial cost. Method This retrospective cohort study was carried out at a large DGH with 261 patients identified as having undergone F2F or NF2F orthopaedic consultations (April 2020). These patients were contacted by telephone to establish their experience, mode of transport and preference for future consultations. Data was also collected relating to environmental and financial costs to the patient and trust. Results Final analysis included 180 patients (69%): 42% had a F2F consultation and 58% a NF2F consultation. There was no significant difference between each group in terms of convenience, ease of communication, subjective patient safety, or overall satisfaction rating (p>0.05). 80% of NF2F patients would be happy with virtual consultations in future. Mean journey distance was 18.6 miles leading to a reduction in total carbon emissions of 563.9kg CO2e (66%), equating to 2106 miles in a medium sized car. The hospital visit carbon cost (heating, lighting, and waste generation) was reduced by 3,967kg CO2e (58%). The financial cost (petrol and parking) was also reduced by an average of £8.96 per person. Conclusions NF2F consultations are aligned to the NHS ‘Long Term Plan’. They (i) deliver high patient satisfaction with equivalent outcomes to F2F consultations; (ii) have reduced carbon emissions from transportation and hospital running; and (iii) are cheaper.


2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. n/a-n/a ◽  
Author(s):  
Florent Mouillot ◽  
Ajay Narasimha ◽  
Yves Balkanski ◽  
Jean-François Lamarque ◽  
Christopher B. Field

Author(s):  
Elena Yu Novenko ◽  
Dmitry A. Kupryanov ◽  
Natalia G. Mazei ◽  
Anatoly Prokushkin ◽  
Leanne N. Phelps ◽  
...  

Abstract Recent climate change in Siberia is increasing the probability of dangerous forest fires. The development of effective measures to mitigate and prevent fires is impossible without an understanding of long-term fire dynamics. This paper presents the first multi-site palaeo-fire reconstruction based on macroscopic charcoal data from peat and lake sediment cores located in different landscapes across the permafrost area of Central Siberia. The obtained results show similar temporal patterns of charcoal accumulation rates in the cores under study, and near synchronous changes in fire regimes. The paleo-fire record revealed moderate biomass burning between 3.4 and 2.6 ka BP, followed by the period of lower burning occurring from 2.6 to 1.7 ka BP that coincided with regional climate cooling and moistening. Minimal fire activity was also observed during the Little Ice Age (0.7 – 0.25 ka BP). Fire frequencies increased during the interval from 1.7 to 0.7 ka BP and appears to be partly synchronous with climate warming during the Medieval Climate Anomaly. Regional reconstructions of long-term fire history show that recent fires are unprecedented during the late Holocene, with modern high biomass burning lying outside millennial and centennial variability of the last 3400 years.


2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Kuai ◽  
J. Worden ◽  
S. Kulawik ◽  
K. Bowman ◽  
M. Lee ◽  
...  

Abstract. Monitoring the global distribution and long-term variations of CO2 sources and sinks is required for characterizing the global carbon budget. Total column measurements are useful for estimating regional-scale fluxes; however, model transport remains a significant error source, particularly for quantifying local sources and sinks. To improve the capability of estimating regional fluxes, we estimate lower tropospheric CO2 concentrations from ground-based near-infrared (NIR) measurements with space-based thermal infrared (TIR) measurements. The NIR measurements are obtained from the Total Carbon Column Observing Network (TCCON) of solar measurements, which provide an estimate of the total CO2 column amount. Estimates of tropospheric CO2 that are co-located with TCCON are obtained by assimilating Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) free tropospheric CO2 estimates into the GEOS-Chem model. We find that quantifying lower tropospheric CO2 by subtracting free tropospheric CO2 estimates from total column estimates is a linear problem, because the calculated random uncertainties in total column and lower tropospheric estimates are consistent with actual uncertainties as compared to aircraft data. For the total column estimates, the random uncertainty is about 0.55 ppm with a bias of −5.66 ppm, consistent with previously published results. After accounting for the total column bias, the bias in the lower tropospheric CO2 estimates is 0.26 ppm with a precision (one standard deviation) of 1.02 ppm. This precision is sufficient for capturing the winter to summer variability of approximately 12 ppm in the lower troposphere; double the variability of the total column. This work shows that a combination of NIR and TIR measurements can profile CO2 with the precision and accuracy needed to quantify lower tropospheric CO2 variability.


2013 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 396-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadine B. Quintana Krupinski ◽  
Jennifer R. Marlon ◽  
Ami Nishri ◽  
Joseph H. Street ◽  
Adina Paytan

Long-term fire histories provide insight into the effects of climate, ecology and humans on fire activity; they can be generated using accumulation rates of charcoal and soot black carbon in lacustrine sediments. This study uses both charcoal and black carbon, and other paleoclimate indicators from Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), Israel, to reconstruct late Holocene variations in biomass burning and aridity. We compare the fire history data with a regional biomass-burning reconstruction from 18 different charcoal records and with pollen, climate, and population data to decipher the relative impacts of regional climate, vegetation changes, and human activity on fire. We show a long-term decline in fire activity over the past 3070 years, from high biomass burning ~ 3070–1750 cal yr BP to significantly lower levels after ~ 1750 cal yr BP. Human modification of the landscape (e.g., forest clearing, agriculture, settlement expansion and early industry) in periods of low to moderate precipitation appears to have been the greatest cause of high biomass burning during the late Holocene in southern Levant, while wetter climate apparently reduced fire activity during periods of both low and high human activity.


Author(s):  
V. А. Shevchenko ◽  
A. V. Nefedov ◽  
A. V. Ilinskiy ◽  
А. Е. Morozov

Long-term observations of the drained soil of peat-podzolic-gley light loam on ancient alluvial sands state on the example of the meliorative object "Tinky-2" showed that under the influence of agricultural use in the soil, the organic matter mineralization processes are accelerated. During the drainage process, the soil evolutionarily suffered the following changes: the peat layer was compacted, humified and mineralized, which was a reason of the transformation them into the humus horizon. Based on the monitoring studies results it was established that during 21 intensive use years the peat layer thickness was decreased by 74.5% and amounted to 5.51 inch, which in the following 20 years was decreased to a layer of 1.18 inch, and for another 14 years it became a homogeneous humus horizon containing difficulty identifiable plant remains. For half a century, the bulk density increased by 6 times and the total moisture capacity of the soil decreased by 3.6 times. Other indicators were changed significantly. So, the ash content by 2016 increased from 11.2% to 52.7%. It was a reason of the plough-layer decreasing and it mixes with the mineral sand horizon during plowing. It should also be noted that the total nitrogen content in the soil decreased by 1.13%, and total carbon by 15.3% from 1982 to 2016. The dynamics of changes in the soil acidity, phosphorus and potassium content is associated with the introduction of calcareous, organic and mineral fertilizers in the 1980s. The unsystematic exploitation of such soils leads to decrease in the agricultural products productivity and increase in energy costs. When planning these soils usage in agricultural production, it is necessary to develop and implement modern melioration technologies and techniques aimed to increase soil fertility.


1975 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Butcher ◽  
M. Boyer ◽  
CD. Fowle

Abstract Eleven small ponds, lined with polyethylene, were used to assess the consequences of applications of *DursbanR at 0.004, 0.030, 0.100 and 1.000 ppm and AbateR at 0.025 and 0.100 ppm active ingredient. The treated ponds showed a more pronounced long-term increase in pH and dissolved oxygen and decreasing total and dissolved carbon dioxide in comparison with untreated ponds. Algal blooms were of longer duration in treated ponds than in controls. Total photosynthetic productivity was higher in treated ponds but bacterial numbers did not change significantly. Photosynthetic productivity was estimated by following the changes in total carbon dioxide.


Science ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 341 (6150) ◽  
pp. 1085-1089 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. D. Graven ◽  
R. F. Keeling ◽  
S. C. Piper ◽  
P. K. Patra ◽  
B. B. Stephens ◽  
...  

Seasonal variations of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) in the Northern Hemisphere have increased since the 1950s, but sparse observations have prevented a clear assessment of the patterns of long-term change and the underlying mechanisms. We compare recent aircraft-based observations of CO2 above the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans to earlier data from 1958 to 1961 and find that the seasonal amplitude at altitudes of 3 to 6 km increased by 50% for 45° to 90°N but by less than 25% for 10° to 45°N. An increase of 30 to 60% in the seasonal exchange of CO2 by northern extratropical land ecosystems, focused on boreal forests, is implicated, substantially more than simulated by current land ecosystem models. The observations appear to signal large ecological changes in northern forests and a major shift in the global carbon cycle.


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