Estimating carbon emissions from African wildfires
(2009) In Biogeosciences 6(3). p.349-360- Abstract
- We developed a technique for studying seasonal and interannual variation in pyrogenic carbon emissions from Africa using a modelling approach that scales burned area estimates from L3JRC, a map recently generated from remote sensing of burn scars instead of active fires. Carbon fluxes were calculated by the novel fire model SPITFIRE embedded within the dynamic vegetation model framework LPJ-GUESS, using daily climate input. For the time period from 2001 to 2005 an average area of 195.5 +/- 24 x 10(4) km(2) was burned annually, releasing an average of 723 +/- 70 TgC to the atmosphere; these estimates for the biomass burned are within the range of previously published estimates. Despite the fact that the majority of wild-fires are ignited by... (More)
- We developed a technique for studying seasonal and interannual variation in pyrogenic carbon emissions from Africa using a modelling approach that scales burned area estimates from L3JRC, a map recently generated from remote sensing of burn scars instead of active fires. Carbon fluxes were calculated by the novel fire model SPITFIRE embedded within the dynamic vegetation model framework LPJ-GUESS, using daily climate input. For the time period from 2001 to 2005 an average area of 195.5 +/- 24 x 10(4) km(2) was burned annually, releasing an average of 723 +/- 70 TgC to the atmosphere; these estimates for the biomass burned are within the range of previously published estimates. Despite the fact that the majority of wild-fires are ignited by humans, strong relationships between climatic conditions ( particularly precipitation), net primary productivity and overall biomass burnt emerged. Our investigation of the relationships between burnt area and carbon emissions and their potential drivers available litter and precipitation revealed uni-modal responses to annual precipitation, with a maximum around 1000 mm for burned area and emissions, or 1200 mm for litter availability. Similar response patterns identified in savannahs worldwide point to precipitation as a chief determinant for short-term variation in fire regime. A considerable variability that cannot be explained by fire-precipitation relationships alone indicates the existence of additional factors that must be taken into account. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/1401214
- author
- Lehsten, Veiko LU ; Tansey, K. ; Balzter, H. ; Thonicke, K. ; Spessa, A. ; Weber, U. ; Smith, Benjamin LU and Arneth, Almut LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2009
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- in
- Biogeosciences
- volume
- 6
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 349 - 360
- publisher
- Copernicus GmbH
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000264741800003
- scopus:70749155229
- ISSN
- 1726-4189
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 58c3c268-c34d-45cc-9a9b-9a3494c3c08b (old id 1401214)
- alternative location
- http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/349/2009/
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 11:46:29
- date last changed
- 2022-04-05 04:50:11
@article{58c3c268-c34d-45cc-9a9b-9a3494c3c08b,
abstract = {{We developed a technique for studying seasonal and interannual variation in pyrogenic carbon emissions from Africa using a modelling approach that scales burned area estimates from L3JRC, a map recently generated from remote sensing of burn scars instead of active fires. Carbon fluxes were calculated by the novel fire model SPITFIRE embedded within the dynamic vegetation model framework LPJ-GUESS, using daily climate input. For the time period from 2001 to 2005 an average area of 195.5 +/- 24 x 10(4) km(2) was burned annually, releasing an average of 723 +/- 70 TgC to the atmosphere; these estimates for the biomass burned are within the range of previously published estimates. Despite the fact that the majority of wild-fires are ignited by humans, strong relationships between climatic conditions ( particularly precipitation), net primary productivity and overall biomass burnt emerged. Our investigation of the relationships between burnt area and carbon emissions and their potential drivers available litter and precipitation revealed uni-modal responses to annual precipitation, with a maximum around 1000 mm for burned area and emissions, or 1200 mm for litter availability. Similar response patterns identified in savannahs worldwide point to precipitation as a chief determinant for short-term variation in fire regime. A considerable variability that cannot be explained by fire-precipitation relationships alone indicates the existence of additional factors that must be taken into account.}},
author = {{Lehsten, Veiko and Tansey, K. and Balzter, H. and Thonicke, K. and Spessa, A. and Weber, U. and Smith, Benjamin and Arneth, Almut}},
issn = {{1726-4189}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{349--360}},
publisher = {{Copernicus GmbH}},
series = {{Biogeosciences}},
title = {{Estimating carbon emissions from African wildfires}},
url = {{http://www.biogeosciences.net/6/349/2009/}},
volume = {{6}},
year = {{2009}},
}