Widely used charcoal analysis method in paleo studies involving NaOCl results in loss of charcoal formed below 400°C

Constantine, Mark; Mooney, Scott

doi:10.1177/09596836211041740

Cited by 15 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(45 reference statements)

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“…CHAR values for both size fractions remain low through this interval (c. 5000–2000 cal years BP) showing an insensitivity of this proxy to low combustion temperature fires inferred from PAHs. Others have found that low-intensity fires are poorly represented in sedimentary charcoal records (Higuera et al, 2005), potentially as a function of methodological biases (Constantine and Mooney, 2021). The lack of response in CHAR values at our sites is also possibly a result of limited charcoal production and/or atmospheric transport from this type of burning in this environment, as lower temperature fires provide less convective energy to mobilize the dispersal of charcoal (Clark, 1988; Peters and Higuera, 2007; Vachula and Richter, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Northern Norway paleofire records reveal two distinct phases of early human impacts on fire activity

et al. 2023

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Paleofire records document fire’s response to climate, ecosystem changes, and human-activity, offering insights into climate-fire-human relationships and the potential response of fire to anthropogenic climate change. We present three new lake sediment PAH records and a charcoal record from the Lofoten Islands, Norway to evaluate the Holocene fire history of northern Norway and examine human impacts on fire in this region. All three datasets show an increase in PAH accumulation rate over the past c. 7500 cal years BP, with an increase c. 5000 cal years BP that signals initial human impacts on fire activity. More significant increases c. 3500 cal years BP reach a maximum c. 2000 cal years BP that correlates with the establishment and expansion of agricultural settlements in Lofoten during the Late Bronze Age and Pre-Roman Iron Age. Decreased PAH accumulation rates c. 1500–900 cal years BP reflect less burning during the Late Iron Age and early medieval period. A shift toward higher molecular weight PAHs and increasing PAHs overall from c. 1000 cal years BP to present, reflects intensified human activity. Sedimentary charcoal (>125 and 63–125 µm) in the Lauvdalsvatnet record does not vary until an increase in the last 900 years, showing a proxy insensitivity to human-caused fire. The Late-Holocene increase in fire activity in Lofoten follows trends in regional charcoal records, but exhibits two distinct phases of increased fire that reflect the intensity of burning due to human landscape changes that overwhelm the signal of natural variations in regional fire activity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Northern Norway paleofire records reveal two distinct phases of early human impacts on fire activity

et al. 2023

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“…They showed that low, medium and high temperature fires could be confidently inferred from FTIR spectra and used this to infer past fire intensity in Ecuador (Gosling et al 2019). Subsequent research has confirmed the ability of FTIR spectra to infer broad temperature ranges from charcoal particles from important plant species in South Africa and Australia (Constantine et al 2021). The FTIR spectra are not always easy to interpret due to the relatively poor preservation of charcoal produced at low temperatures and diagenic chemical processes within the sediment that can obscure the fire temperature signal.…”

Section: Fire Temperature Indicatorsmentioning

confidence: 95%

Cultural Burning

David,

Fletcher,

Connor

et al. 2024

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This Element addresses a burning question – how can archaeologists best identify and interpret cultural burning, the controlled use of fire by people to shape and curate their physical and social landscapes? This Element describes what cultural burning is and presents current methods by which it can be identified in historical and archaeological records, applying internationally relevant methods to Australian landscapes. It clarifies how the transdisciplinary study of cultural burning by Quaternary scientists, historians, archaeologists and Indigenous community members is informing interpretations of cultural practices, ecological change, land use and the making of place. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

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“…Sites (Table 1) were included based on their proximity to the study site (mainland south-eastern Australia) and only if they had a robust chronology (including at least one radiometric age ( 14 C or 210 Pb date) per 400 years and had age values encompassing the past 100 years). It should be noted that the composite charcoal record derived herein included data where charcoal was extracted using oxidant treatments, and thus may carry a partial bias towards higher intensity fires (Constantine and Mooney, 2022).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Analysis of past fire regimes in Australia has focused on the use of charcoal particles preserved within sedimentary archives. Extraction of these charcoal particles has relied on the use of light oxidants to extract charcoal from sediments, a process Constantine and Mooney (2022) have recently demonstrated can preferentially remove the less recalcitrant charcoal fraction produced at lower temperatures (e.g. low severity or intensity wildfires).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The transition from an Indigenous to a European influenced fire regime at Lake Werri Berri, south-east Australia

et al. 2023

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The drivers of fire regimes prior to the European occupation of Australia are still contentious, with some advocating regimes dominated by anthropogenic ignitions and others advocating a climate source or mixture of these elements. Here, we examine an 850-year history of fire regimes at Lake Werri Berri in south-east Australia, prior to and following European occupation. Macroscopic charcoal and FTIR spectroscopy were used to infer broad changes of the fire regime in proximity to the lake. We found little change through much of the 850-year period and most interesting, no apparent change following the initial displacement of Indigenous peoples and the introduction of farming and woodcutting to the region by Europeans. From the mid-20th Century onwards, there was an increase in both area burnt and fire severity or intensity, likely the result of increased fuel load and connectivity following an extended period of increased precipitation and heavier recreational land usage, which likely led to an increase in anthropogenic ignitions.

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Widely used charcoal analysis method in paleo studies involving NaOCl results in loss of charcoal formed below 400°C

Cited by 15 publications

References 32 publications

Northern Norway paleofire records reveal two distinct phases of early human impacts on fire activity

Northern Norway paleofire records reveal two distinct phases of early human impacts on fire activity

Cultural Burning

The transition from an Indigenous to a European influenced fire regime at Lake Werri Berri, south-east Australia

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