13–17 Feb 2023
Faculty of Geoscience and Geography
Europe/Zurich timezone

Paleofire activity in the subtaiga of Western Siberia: natural and anthropogenic causes.

14 Feb 2023, 14:15
3h 45m
MN09 (Faculty of Geoscience and Geography)

MN09

Faculty of Geoscience and Geography

Göttingen, Germany
Poster (A0) Fire-vegetation interactions (Poster) Fire-vegetation interactions (Poster)

Speaker

Ms Maria Nesterova (Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS)

Description

The paleofire dynamics in Russia of have been poorly studied to date, especially for the vast area of Siberia. The paper presents new results of a study of the Oshukovskoye peatbog, located in the Turo-Pyshminsky interfluve in the subtaiga zone of Western Siberia. In 3.7 m core macroscopic particles of charcoal in peat was count in each 2 sm, on the basis of which the patterns of changes in fire dynamics were analyzed during nine thousand years.
Analytical macrocharcoal results were compared with the botanical composition of peat, pollen data in the region, and the history of development of the territory according to archaeological data.
We have identified seven phases of changes in fire activity:
Phase I (8.9–4.1 ka BP): the intensity and power of fires are low, the population density is small, with appropriating type of economy.
Phase II (4.1–3.2 ka BP): there is an increase in the number of fires, but the direct connection with climate can't be traced. Phase coincides with the emergence of a producing economy, bronze metallurgy, and a population increase in the Bronze Age.
Phase III (3.2–2.6 ka BP): fire activity continues to grow, despite the cooling and raising humidity. The fire dynamics connected with the economic activity of people: the appearance of the first fortified settlements, an increase in the population.
Phase IV (2.6–2.1 ka BP): a decline in fire activity occurred, possibly due to the transition of the economy to semi-nomadic pastoralism.
Phase V (2.1-1.5 ka BP): there is an increase in fire activity, presumably this was influenced by the transition of the swamp to the oligotrophic stage. On the other hand, we revealed at that time the increase in the number of fortified settlements and a more sedentary lifestyle, against the background of reduction of large-scale cattle breeding.
Phase VI (1.5-0.5 ka BP): falls on the Middle Ages, in which multiple local military conflicts were observed, as a result, people periodically left these lands, and due to this, the anthropogenic load also decreased. Birch forests dominated at the beginning of period, later they changed to pine, which also affected the fire dynamics.
Phase VII (0.5 ka BP-now): the largest fire activity apparently due to anthropogenic factors, such as the emergence of agriculture, industry, an increase in population.
It has been established that at the local level, the frequency of pyrogenic events has a weak relationship with climate changes in heat and moisture supply. However, with an increase in the proportion of pine forests, the frequency of fires tends to increase. A direct positive relationship was revealed when comparing the intensity of fires with archaeological data and changes in the economic specifics and intensity of development of the territory.
In the future, we plan to study in more detail of paleofires dynamics in the West Siberia and will carry out investigation on various natural archive located in near human habitation area in the past.
«Acknowledgments: The reported study was funded by RSF, project number 23-27-00437»

Primary authors

Mr Alexey Afonin (Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS) Ms Maria Nesterova (Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS) Dr Natalia Ryabogina (Tyumen Scientific Centre SB RAS)

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