Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in post-fire soils of drained peatlands in western Meshchera (Moscow region, Russia)

Abstract

Abstract. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are priority pollutants that arrive in the environment from numerous anthropogenic and natural sources, but the data on their natural sources including wildfires remain insufficient. The level of contamination and the composition of PAHs in soils of the areas affected by wildfires were studied in this work. The study was conducted in the Moscow region (Russia) in areas occupied by drained peatland and strongly damaged by fires in 2002, 2010 and 2012. The features of PAH accumulation and the profile distributions in histosols and histic podzols after the fires of different times were analyzed. It was shown that new soil horizons formed after the fires -Cpir, Hpir and incipient O horizons -and that these horizons differ in PAH accumulation rate. Maximal total concentrations of 14 PAHs were detected in charred peat horizons Hpir (up to 330 ng g −1 ) and in postfire incipient O horizons (up to 180 ng g −1 ), but the highmolecular-weight PAHs (benz(ghi)perylene, benz(a)pyrene, benz(k)fluoranthene) were revealed only in charry peat horizons. The trends of higher PAH concentrations were found in cases when smoldering combustion resulted in rather thick residual peat horizons. In cases of almost complete pyrogenic destruction of He horizons, total PAH concentrations were no more than 50 ng g −1 . Also, PAH accumulation in upper horizons of soils near the sites of the latest fires was observed.

Short-time phosphorus losses by overland flow in burnt pine and eucalypt plantations in north-central Portugal: A study at micro-plot scale

“…Fires are a widespread phenomenon, acting as a major driver of ecosystem change all over the world (Caon et al, 2014;Coombs and Melack, 2013;Doerr and Cerdà, 2005;Kugbe et al, 2015;Lane et al, 2008;Pereira et al, 2014a;Tsibart et al, 2014;Wang et al, 2015).…”

Short‐Term Vegetation Recovery after a Grassland Fire in Lithuania: The Effects of Fire Severity, Slope Position and Aspect

“…Fire was seen as one of those negative factors because of its impact on vegetation and soil quality, and to the acceleration of soil erosion processes (Lasanta & Cerdà, 2005;Keesstra et al, 2014). However, fire is now seen as a component of terrestrial ecosystems and is considered a significant evolutionary force (Keeley et al, 2011;Tsibart et al, 2014;Hedo et al, 2015). Fire has been classified as a global herbivore (Bond & Keeley, 2005).…”

Stability and biodegradability of organic matter from Arctic soils of Western Siberia: insights from <sup>13</sup>C-NMR spectroscopy and elemental analysis

“…Low temperature and high moisture conditions have favoured the accumulation of large amounts of organic matter in permafrost soils over thousands of years (Schirrmeister et al, 2011;Zubrzycki et al, 2013). However, current trends of climate warming and permafrost thawing are exposing this pool of organic matter to microbial degradation , as well as to fires and smouldering (Rein, 2013;Tsibart et al, 2014;Zaccone et al, 2014), for the first time in millennia. These processes, involving SOM mineralisation and combustion, represent an unprecedented source of carbon dioxide and methane to the atmosphere (Christensen et al, 1999;Gruber et al, 2004;Zimov et al, 2006), which might further accelerate climate change effects (Schuur et al, 2008).…”