Fire Phenomena and the Earth System

Fire plays a key role in Earth system processes. Wildfires influence the carbon cycle and the nutrient balance of our planet, and may even play a role in regulating the oxygen content of our atmosphere. The evolutionary history of plants has been intimately tied to fire and this in part explains the distribution of our ecosystems and their ability to withstand the effects of natural fires today. Fire Phenomena and the Earth System brings together the various subdisciplines within fire science to provide a synthesis of our understanding of the role of wildfire in the Earth system. The book shows how knowledge of fire phenomena and the nature of combustion of natural fuels can be used to understand modern wildfires, interpret fire events in the geological record and to understand the role of fire in a variety of Earth system processes. By bringing together chapters written by leading international researchers from a range of geological, environmental, chemical and engineering disciplines, the book will stimulate the exchange of ideas and knowledge across these subject areas. Fire Phenomena and the Earth System provides a truly interdisciplinary guide that can inform us about Earth s past, present and beyond. Readership: Advanced students and researchers across a wide range of earth, environmental and life sciences, including biogeochemistry, paleoclimatology, atmospheric science, palaeontology and paleoecology, combustion science, ecology and forestry.

Fire plays a key role in Earth system processes. Wildfiresinfluence the carbon cycle and the nutrient balance of our planetand may even play a role in regulating the oxygen content of ouratmosphere. The evolutionary history of plants has been intimatelytied to fire and this in part explains the distribution of ourecosystems and their ability to withstand the effects of naturalfires today.Fire Phenomena and the Earth System brings together thevarious subdisciplines within fire science to provide a synthesisof our understanding of the role of wildfire in the Earth system.The book shows how knowledge of fire phenomena and the nature ofcombustion of natural fuels can be used to understand modernwildfires, interpret fire events in the geological record and tounderstand the role of fire in a variety of Earth system processes.By bringing together chapters written by leading internationalresearchers from a range of geological, environmental, chemical andengineering disciplines, the book will stimulate the exchange ofideas and knowledge across these subject areas. Fire Phenomenaand the Earth System provides a truly interdisciplinary guidethat can inform us about Earth's past, present andbeyond.Readership: Advanced students and researchers across awide range of earth, environmental and life sciences, includingbiogeochemistry, paleoclimatology, atmospheric sciencepalaeontology and paleoecology, combustion science, ecology andforestry.

Contributors, viiForeword, ixPreface, xiiAcknowledgements, xvPART 1 FIRE BEHAVIOUR, 11 An Introduction to Combustion in Organic Materials, 3Jose L. Torero2 Smouldering Fires and Natural Fuels, 15Guillermo Rein3 Experimental Understanding of Wildland Fires, 35Albert Simeoni4 Wildfire Behaviour and Danger Ratings, 53Eulalia Planas and Elsa Pastor5 Satellite Remote Sensing of Fires, 77David P. Roy, Luigi Boschetti and Alistair M.S. SmithPART 2 FIRE AND THE BIOSPHERE, 956 Understanding Fire Regimes and the Ecological Effects of Fire97G. Matt Davies7 Plant Adaptations to Fire: an Evolutionary Perspective125Jeremy J. Midgley and William J. Bond8 Fire and the Land Surface, 135Stefan H. Doerr and Richard A. Shakesby9 Identification of Black Carbon in the Earth System, 157Karen Hammes and Samuel AbivenPART 3 FIRE AND THE EARTH'S PAST, 17710 Identifying Past Fire Events, 179Ian J. Glasspool and Andrew C. Scott11 A 21 000-Year History of Fire, 207Mitchell J. Power12 A 450-Million-Year History of Fire, 229Claire M. Belcher, Margaret E. Collinson and Andrew C.ScottPART 4 FIRE AND THE EARTH SYSTEM, 25113 Evaluating the Atmospheric Impact of Wildfires, 253Solene Turquety14 The Dependence of Flame Spread and Probability of Ignition onAtmospheric Oxygen: an Experimental Investigation, 273Andrew J. Watson and James E. Lovelock15 Fire Feedbacks on Atmospheric Oxygen, 289Timothy M. Lenton16 Biochar and Carbon Sequestration, 309Ondøej MaSekIndex, 323Colour plate section 1 falls between pages 16 and 17Colour plate section 2 falls between pages 192 and 193