Direct and longer-term carbon emissions from arctic-boreal fires: A short review of recent advances
Increases in arctic-boreal fires can switch these biomes from a long-term carbon (C) sink to a source of atmospheric C through direct fire emissions and longer-term emissions from soil respiration. We here review advances made by the arctic-boreal fire science community over the last three years. La...
| Published in: | Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2021
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://research.vu.nl/en/publications/69a0fa31-3a7b-46b6-bce4-749ee13ecd25 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coesh.2021.100277 https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/69a0fa31-3a7b-46b6-bce4-749ee13ecd25 |
| Summary: | Increases in arctic-boreal fires can switch these biomes from a long-term carbon (C) sink to a source of atmospheric C through direct fire emissions and longer-term emissions from soil respiration. We here review advances made by the arctic-boreal fire science community over the last three years. Landscapes of intermediate drainage tend to experience the highest C combustion, dominated by soil C emissions, because of relatively thick and periodically dry organic soils. These landscapes may also induce a climate warming feedback through combustion and postfire respiration of legacy C, including from permafrost thaw and degradation. Legacy C is soil C that had escaped burning in the previous fire. Data shortages from fires in tundra ecosystems and Eurasian boreal forests limit our understanding of C emissions from arctic-boreal fires. Interactions between fire, topography, vegetation, soil, and permafrost need to be considered when estimating climate feedbacks of arctic-boreal fires. |
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