Angiosperms evolved and diversified during the Cretaceous period. Early angiosperms were short-stature weedy plants thought to have increased fire frequency mortality in gymnosperm forest, aiding their own expansion. However, no explorations considered whether range of novel fuel types that throughout also altered behaviour, which should link more strongly than alone. We measured ignitability heat combustion analogue understorey fuels (conifer litter, ferns, shrubby angiosperms) used these...

Abstract. Anthropogenic climate change has altered many ecosystem processes in the Arctic tundra and may have resulted unprecedented fire activity. Evaluating significance of recent fires requires knowledge from paleofire record because observational data span only several decades, much shorter than natural rotation regions. Here we report results charcoal analysis on lake sediments four Alaskan lakes to infer broad spatial temporal patterns tundra-fire occurrence over past 35 000 years....

Abstract Charcoal occurrence is extensively used as a tool for understanding wildfires over geological timescales. Yet, the fossil charcoal literature to date rarely considers that fire alone capable of creating bias in abundance and nature it creates, before even becomes incorporated into record. In this study we have state‐of‐the‐art calorimetry experimentally produce from 20 species represent range surface fuels growth habits, preliminary step towards assessing whether different fuel...

Charcoal has an exceptional ability to reflect light when viewed using reflectance microscopy. The amount of reflected is variable depending on the differential ordering graphite-like phases within charcoal itself. It been suggested that this relates temperature formation, whereby higher formation temperatures result in high reflectance. However, explanation derived from oven-based chars do not well represent natural combustion process. Here, we have experimentally created charcoals a cone...

Wildfire size, frequency, and severity are increasing in the Alaskan boreal forest response to climate warming. One of potential impacts this changing fire regime is alteration successional trajectories, from black spruce mixed stands dominated by aspen, a vegetation composition not experienced since early Holocene. Such changes may consequently alter intensity fires, influencing feedbacks ecosystem. Paleorecords document past wildfire-vegetation dynamics as such, imperative for our...

Here we explore how charcoal formation under different heating regimes and circumstances leads to chars of physical properties. In order do this have undertaken 1) carefully controlled laboratory experiments that replicate the might be experienced during a wildfire 2) two experimental wildfires where heat variations were monitored across burn from which resulting has been studied. The properties assessed using reflectance measures light reflected back charcoals structure links changes in its...

Peatlands represent a globally important carbon store; however, the human exploitation of this ecosystem is increasing both frequency and severity fires on drained peatlands. Yet, interactions between hydrological conditions (ecotopes), fuel types being burned, burn severity, charring temperatures (pyrolysis intensity) remain poorly understood. Here we present post-burn assessment fire lowland raised bog in Co. Offaly, Ireland (All Saints Bog). Three severities were identified field (light,...

The Permian-Triassic extinction event was the largest biocrisis of Phanerozoic.One principle triggers for 'big dying' is thought to be greenhouse warming resulting from release CH 4 basalt-coal interaction during extensive Siberian Trap eruptions.Observations organic matter interpreted coal combustion products (fly ash) in latest Permian marine sediments have been used support this hypothesis.However, interpretation dependent upon vesicular chars being fly ash (coal combustion-derived) and...

Abstract All of our current understanding fossil charcoal structure comes from observations modern wood produced in furnaces. These charcoals consistently show cell wall homogenization after prolonged heating (>325°C) and this is therefore considered to be a key identifying feature charcoal. Yet furnaces are unable replicate the full combustion processes that occur during wildfire. Here, for first time, we have studied microscopic structural evolution using calorimetry, wherein ignited...

Wildfires are anticipated to increase in frequency and extent the Arctic tundra. In unprecedented 2010 fire season, 37 tundra fires burned 435 km2 of Noatak National Preserve, Alaska. We sampled sixteen soil monoliths from four these areas, which based on microsite burn severity assessments ranged scorched moderate–high. Surface charcoals were later studied using reflectance microscopy, as charcoal may semiquantitatively indicate duration heating experienced by a given fuel. Here,...

Charcoal has recently been suggested to retain information about the fire that generated it. When looked at under a microscope, charcoals formed by different aspects of behaviour indicate ability reflect amount light when studied using appropriate technique. It this method, charcoal reflectance (Ro), might be able provide quantitative severity metric can used in conjunction with or instead standard qualitative scores. We from recent heathland wildfire Carn Brea, Cornwall, UK, and assessed...

CMB acknowledges a European Research Council Starter Grant ERC-2013- StG- 335891-ECOFLAM, and AGS the NERC Millipeat grant: NERC Standard grant NE/I012915/1.

Abstract. Anthropogenic climate change has altered many ecosystem processes in the Arctic tundra and may have resulted unprecedented fire activity. Evaluating significance of recent fires requires knowledge from paleo-fire record because observational data span only several decades, much shorter than natural rotation regions. Here we report results charcoal analysis on lake sediments four Alaskan lakes to infer broad spatial temporal patterns occurrence over past 35 000 years. Background...

Research Article| August 01, 2017 Fire biases the production of charred flowers: Implications for Cretaceous fossil record Victoria A. Hudspith; Hudspith 1wildFIRE Lab, Hatherly Laboratories, Department Geography, University Exeter, EX4 4PS Devon, UK Search other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Claire M. Belcher Geology (2017) 45 (8): 727–730. https://doi.org/10.1130/G39093.1 Article history received: 23 Feb rev-recd: 18 Apr accepted: 19 first online: Jun Cite View This Citation...