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Journal of the International Association of Wildland Fire
RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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

Laurent Bremond A B H , Christopher Carcaillet A B I , Charly Favier C , Adam A. Ali B D , Cédric Paitre E , Yves Bégin F , Yves Bergeron D and Pierre J. H. Richard G
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Paleoenvironments and chronoecology (PALECO), Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes (EPHE), Institut de Botanique, 163 Rue Broussonet, F-34090 Montpellier, France.

B Centre de Bio-Archéologie et d’Écologie (UMR5059, CNRS), Université Montpellier 2, Institut de Botanique, 163 Rue Broussonet, F-34090 Montpellier, France.

C Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution (UMR5554, CNRS), Université Montpellier 2, Place Eugène Bataillon, F-34090 Montpellier, France.

D Chaire industrielle en aménagement forestier durable (NSERC-UQAT-UQAM), CP 8888, Succ. Centre-ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada.

E Département de Géographie et Centre d’Études Nordiques, Pavillon Abitibi-Price, Local 1230, 2405, Rue de la Terrasse, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.

F Centre Eau, Terre et Environnement, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS-ETE), 490, Rue de la Couronne, Québec, QC, G1K 9A9, Canada.

G Département de Géographie, Université de Montréal, CP 6128 Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3J7, Canada.

H Corresponding author. Email: laurent.bremond@univ-montp2.fr

I Corresponding author. Email: christopher.carcaillet@univ-montp2.fr

International Journal of Wildland Fire 19(8) 1015-1025 https://doi.org/10.1071/WF09096
Submitted: 3 September 2009  Accepted: 16 July 2010   Published: 10 December 2010

Journal Compilation © IAWF 2010

Abstract

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.

Additional keywords: air masses, biomass burning, boreal forest, Canadian vegetation ecozone, charcoal database, modelling, paleo-fires.


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