Charcoal and pollen analysis: Examples of Holocene fire dynamics in Mediterranean Iberian Peninsula

Burjachs, Francesc; Expósito, Isabel

doi:10.1016/j.catena.2014.10.006

Cited by 30 publications

(29 citation statements)

References 89 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Numerous local and regional studies have clearly demonstrated that the activity of long‐term fires in the Mediterranean basin follows specific activity patterns (Colombaroli et al, ; Turner et al, ; Vannière et al, , ; Gil‐Romera et al, ; Leys et al, ; Burjachs & Expósito, ). Such research provides solid evidence on synchronous trends usually interpreted as climatically driven but also documents unforeseen ecosystem behaviors in response to particular physical configurations, vegetation, and anthropic pressure.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anyway, the incidence of human‐induced fires on the frequency, fire regime, and biomass burning is still an open issue in Iberia (Carrión et al, ; Bal et al, ; Bowman et al, ; Morales‐Molino et al, ). Most paleofire studies have reconstructed fire history (e.g., Abel‐Schaad et al, , ; López‐Merino et al, ; López‐Sáez et al, , , ; Abel‐Schaad & López‐Sáez, ; Morales‐Molino et al, ; Burjachs & Expósito, ; Silva‐Sánchez et al, ; Morales‐Molino et al, ) and in certain cases fire regime (e.g., Bal et al, ; Gil‐Romera et al, ; Morales‐Molino et al, ), but only a few have taken into account regional variability on a spatial scale discerning discrepancies or agreement among records (Gil‐Romera et al, ; Vannière et al, ; López‐Sáez et al, ; Morales‐Molino et al, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Paleofire Dynamics in Central Spain during the Late Holocene: The Role of Climatic and Anthropogenic Forcing

López‐Sáez¹,

Vargas

Fernández

et al. 2017

Land Degrad Dev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The use of fire and, consequently, its severity and incidence on the environment have grown steadily during the last millennia throughout the Mediterranean. This issue can be assessed in several mountain ranges of central Iberia where changes in the management policy on anthropic activities and exploitation of high‐mountain environments have promoted a remarkable increase on fire frequency. Our research focuses on fire dynamics throughout the last 3,000 years from three peat bog charcoal records of the Gredos range (central Iberia). Our aim is to reconstruct past fire regimes according to forest vegetation typology (Castanea sativa, Pinus pinaster, and Pinus sylvestris). Charcoal influx shows low values between 3,140 and 1,800 cal. year bp when forests were relatively dense in both high and mid‐mountain areas. Fire appeared synchronous between 1,800 and 1,700 cal. year bp for Lanzahíta and Serranillos and around 1,400–1,240 cal. year bp for the three sites, suggesting anthropogenic fire control between the Late Roman and Visigothic periods that can be related to the cultivation of olive trees in the valleys and a greater human impact in high‐mountain areas. By contrast, during the Muslim period (1,240–850 cal. year bp), fire dynamics becomes asynchronous. Later, fires turn again coeval in the Gredos range during the Christian period (850–500 cal. year bp) and can be also correlated with drought phases during the Late Medieval Warm Episode. In short, our study demonstrates that fire activity has been enormously variable during the late Holocene in response to both short‐term and long‐term regional and global climate, vegetation dynamics, and land use changes. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paleofire Dynamics in Central Spain during the Late Holocene: The Role of Climatic and Anthropogenic Forcing

López‐Sáez¹,

Vargas

Fernández

et al. 2017

Land Degrad Dev

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Wildfires are a recurrent threat in the Mediterranean region since the Holocene (Burjachs & Expósito, ), with the burned area in the Iberian Peninsula averaging more than 100,000 ha every year during the last decade (San‐Miguel‐Ayanz et al, ). Wildfires play a major role on land degradation in Mediterranean areas (Le Houérou, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessing the adequacy of SWAT model to simulate postfire effects on the watershed hydrological regime and water quality

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Forest fires have intensified in the Mediterranean area over the last decades, becoming increasingly destructive. Catastrophic wildfires, such as the ones that occurred on the Portuguese territory during 2017, have emphasized the need for developing management tools capable of rapidly assessing their impact on downstream water bodies. This study focuses on the effects of the 2017 forest fires on the water quality of the Zêzere River (Portugal), one of the major sources of freshwater to Lisbon and the surrounding areas. During 2017, more than 100,000 ha (30% of the Zêzere watershed) were affected by wildfires, making it one of the largest burned areas in Portugal. Using the soil water assessment tool, the land use (curve number, crop vegetation management factor) and soil (soil erodibility factor) parameters were modified considering different magnitudes of the fire event (low, medium, and high severity). The impact of the different wildfires was then assessed at the subbasin level and at the entrance of Castelo de Bode reservoir. Simulations showed a significant increase in runoff and sediment concentration at the subbasin level in the years following the fire events, with high concentrations of nutrients occurring at the reservoir inlet. Nitrate concentration slightly overcame the threshold limits foreseen in legislation for drinking water, meaning that fires could have additional impact on human health. Phosphate concentration recurrently exceeded the legislation threshold, representing a severe risk to the ecosystem by potentially promoting the eutrophication of downstream water bodies, oxygen deficiency in the bottom substrate, and reduced biodiversity.

show abstract

“…Fire signal and pollen data facilitate an understanding of historical disturbances in the landscape (Burjachs & Expósito, ; González‐Pellejero, Allende, López‐Sáez, Frochoso‐Sánchez, & Alba‐Sánchez, Abel‐Schaad, ). As Conedera et al () report, the creation of effective land management approaches requires a sound understanding of past forest stands and of landscape dynamics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

History of fires and vegetation since the Neolithic in the Cantabrian Mountains (Spain)

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Fire has been one of the main causes of disturbance of vegetation over time, and since the Neolithic has become an irreplaceable tool for the opening of forest spaces and maintenance of pastures. Previous studies showed that the intensity and effects of wildfires are related to the biomass and controlled by climate factors. However, in regions such as Cantabria, where agriculture and livestock have spread throughout the territory since prehistory, fires should also be closely related to human land uses. The aim of this paper was to investigate the history of fires and vegetation since the Neolithic in the Cantabrian Mountains, using sedimentary charcoal and pollen data to study the role of human activities in the processes that have shaped ecosystems throughout the Holocene. The asynchrony and quantitative differences in the results obtained at different sites indicate significant variations in fire patterns at regional scale since the Neolithic, although the type and size of each basin also had a strong influence on charcoal accumulation. Maximum values for charcoal accumulation rate at La Molina were observed between the Neolithic and the Bronze Age but occurred after about 3500 cal years BP at El Cueto de la Avellanosa. At El Sertal, low charcoal accumulation rate values were observed, probably because the sequence begins in a space that already had been cleared; the maximum values occurred during the most recent millennium. These data provide evidence that fire has been a key factor in forest retreat and in maintaining open landscapes since the Neolithic.

show abstract

Charcoal and pollen analysis: Examples of Holocene fire dynamics in Mediterranean Iberian Peninsula

Cited by 30 publications

References 89 publications

Paleofire Dynamics in Central Spain during the Late Holocene: The Role of Climatic and Anthropogenic Forcing

Paleofire Dynamics in Central Spain during the Late Holocene: The Role of Climatic and Anthropogenic Forcing

Assessing the adequacy of SWAT model to simulate postfire effects on the watershed hydrological regime and water quality

History of fires and vegetation since the Neolithic in the Cantabrian Mountains (Spain)

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About