Speaker
Description
Near-future climate scenarios predict pervasive shifts in forest dynamics as a result of anthropogenic climate change. At the same time, acceleration of episodic ecosystem disturbances due to increasing fire intensity will likely lead to unprecedented terrestrial ecosystem disruptions. Considering these developments, a better understanding of the impact of fire intensity on past natural forest biomes can provide valuable insight into the vegetation response to future climate change. Whereas charcoal and organic biomarker analyses of lake and marine sediments have provided insights into past fire events, the spatial extent, intensity and triggers of paleofires have remained poorly constrained. To this end, I have paired pollen data with charcoal and organic biomarker data from diverse terrestrial settings from SE Europe, specifically from: (i) the Tenaghi Philippon peatland (northeastern Greece) and (ii) Lake Ohrid (North Macedonia/Albania), both spanning Marine Isotope Stages 11–12 (c. 350–490 ka), and (iii) Etoliko Lagoon (western Greece) spanning the past 250 years. The results provide a stimulus for critically evaluating the advantages and limitations of deciphering paleofire regimes using charcoal and organic biomarker data.
