Fire on Earth - An Introduction

Informationen zum Autor Andrew C. Scott is Professor of Applied Palaeobotany and a Distinguished Research Fellow in the Department of Earth Sciences at Royal Holloway, University of London, England David M.J.S.Bowman is Professor of Environmental Change Biology in the School of Plant Science at the University of Tasmania, Australia William J. Bond is Professor of Plant Ecology in the Department of Botany at the University of Cape Town, South Africa Stephen J. Pyne is Regent's Professor in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA Martin E. Alexander is an Adjunct Professor of Wildland Fire Science and Management at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and formerly a senior fire behavior research officer with the Canadian Forest Service Klappentext Earth is the only planet known to have fire. The reason is both simple and profound: fire exists because Earth is the only planet to possess life as we know it. Fire is an expression of life on Earth and an index of life's history. Few processes are as integral, unique, or ancient.Fire on Earth puts fire in its rightful place as an integral part of the study of geology, biology, human history, physics, and global chemistry. Fire is ubiquitous in various forms throughout Earth, and belongs as part of formal inquiries about our world. In recent years fire literature has multiplied exponentially; dedicated journals exist and half a dozen international conferences are held annually. A host of formal sciences, or programs announcing interdisciplinary intentions, are willing to consider fire. Wildfire also appears routinely in media reporting.This full-colour text, containing over 250 illustrations of fire in all contexts, is designed to provide a synthesis of contemporary thinking; bringing together the most powerful concepts and disciplinary voices to examine, in an international setting, why planetary fire exists, how it works, and why it looks the way it does today. Students, lecturers, researchers and professionals interested in the physical, ecological and historical characteristics of fire will find this book, and accompanying web-based material, essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate courses in all related disciplines, for general interest and for providing an interdisciplinary foundation for further study.* A comprehensive approach to the history, behaviour and ecological effects of fire on earth* Timely introduction to this important subject, with relevance for global climate change, biodiversity loss and the evolution of human culture.* Provides a foundation for the interdisciplinary field of Fire Research* Authored by an international team of leading experts in the field* Associated website provides additional resources Zusammenfassung Earth is the only planet known to have fire. The reason is both simple and profound: fire exists because Earth is the only planet to possess life as we know it. Fire is an expression of life on Earth and an index of life s history. Few processes are as integral, unique, or ancient. Inhaltsverzeichnis Preface xiii Acknowledgements xv About the Authors xvii About the Companion Website xix PART ONE FIRE IN THE EARTH SYSTEM 1 Preface to part one 2 Chapter 1 What is fire? 3 1.1 How fire starts and initially spreads 3 1.2 Lightning and other ignition sources 4 1.3 The charring process 6 1.4 Pyrolysis products 7 1.5 Fire types 10 1.6 Peat fires 14 1.7 Fire effects on soils 15 1.8 Post-fire erosion-deposition 18 1.9 Fire and vegetation 22 1.10 Fire and climate 26 1.11 Fire triangles 30 1.12 Fire return intervals 30 1.13 How we study fire: satellites 31 1.14 Modelling fire occurrence 38 1.15 Climate forcing 42

Sommario

Preface xiii
 
Acknowledgements xv
 
About the Authors xvii
 
About the Companion Website xix
 
PART ONE FIRE IN THE EARTH SYSTEM 1
 
Preface to part one 2
 
Chapter 1 What is fire? 3
 
1.1 How fire starts and initially spreads 3
 
1.2 Lightning and other ignition sources 4
 
1.3 The charring process 6
 
1.4 Pyrolysis products 7
 
1.5 Fire types 10
 
1.6 Peat fires 14
 
1.7 Fire effects on soils 15
 
1.8 Post-fire erosion-deposition 18
 
1.9 Fire and vegetation 22
 

1.10 Fire and climate 26
 
1.11 Fire triangles 30
 
1.12 Fire return intervals 30
 
1.13 How we study fire: satellites 31
 
1.14 Modelling fire occurrence 38
 
1.15 Climate forcing 42
 
1.16 Scales of fire occurrence 44
 
Further reading 45
 
Chapter 2 Fire in the fossil record: recognition 47
 
2.1 Fire proxies: fire scars and charcoal 47
 
2.2 The problem of nomenclature: black carbon, char, charcoal, soot and elemental carbon 49
 
2.3 How we study charcoal: microscopical and chemical techniques 51
 
2.4 Charcoal as an information-rich source 56
 
2.5 Charcoal reflectance and temperature 56
 
2.6 Uses of charcoal 58
 
2.7 Fire intensity/severity 59
 
2.8 Deep time studies 60
 
2.9 Pre-requisite for fire: fuel - the evolution of plants 61
 

2.10 Charcoal in sedimentary systems 62
 
Further reading 63
 
Chapter 3 Fire in the fossil record: earth system processes 65
 
3.1 Fire and oxygen 65
 
3.2 Fire feedbacks 67
 
3.3 Systems diagrams 67
 
3.4 Charcoal as proxy for atmospheric oxygen 69
 
3.5 Burning experiments - fire spread 69
 
3.6 Fire and the terrestrial system 70
 
Further reading 72
 
Chapter 4 The geological history of fire in deep time: 420 million years to 2 million years ago 73
 
4.1 Periods of high and low fire, and implications 73
 
4.2 The first fires 73
 
4.3 The rise of fire 75
 
4.4 Fire in the high-oxygen Paleozoic world 77
 
4.5 Collapse of fire systems 80
 
4.6 Fire at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary 82
 
4.7 Jurassic variation 82
 
4.8 Cretaceous fires 84
 
4.9 Fire at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-P or K-T) boundary 87
 
4.10 Paleocene fires 88
 
4.11 Fires across the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum (PETM) 88
 
4.12 Dampening of fire systems 89
 
4.13 Rise of the grass-fire cycle 89
 
Further reading 89
 
Chapter 5 The geological history of fire - the last two million years 91
 
5.1 Problems of Quaternary fire history 91
 
5.2 The Paleofire working group: techniques and analysis 93
 
5.3 Fire and climate cycles 97
 
5.4 Fire and humans: the fossil evidence 98
 
5.5 Fire and the industrial society 101
 
Further reading 101
 
References for part one 103
 
PART TWO BIOLOGY OF FIRE 111
 
Preface to part two 112
 
Chapter 6 Pyrogeography - temporal and spatial patterns of fire 113
 
6.1 Fire and life 113
 
6.2 Global climate, vegetation patterns and fire 113
 
6.3 Pyrogeography 116
 
6.4 Fire and the control of biome boundaries 121
 
6.5 The fire regime concept 125
 
6.6 Fire ecology 128
 
6.7 Conclusion 129
 
Further reading 129
 
Chapter 7 Plants and fire 131
 
7.1 Introduction 131
 
7.2 Fire and plant traits 131
 
7.3 Fire regimes and the characteristic suite of fi

Relazione

"The well-organized and illustrated work can be used as a textbook or a reference source for practitioners. Each chapter has a list of further readings, and each part has its own extensive bibliography. This phenomenal contribution will become a classic reference for five mangers, students of fire ecology and climate, and researchers for years to come. Summing Up: Essential. All levels/libraries." (Choice, 1 October 2014)
 
"Overall, the book provides an excellent, multidisciplinary introduction to fire, authored by leading experts in their fields, written in a very accessible style and supported by superb illustrations and extensive references. Hence, I highly recommend it to potential readers, who may be upper level undergraduate students, graduate students, teaching staff and everyone working, or simply interested, in the area of environmental science." (International Journal of Wildland Fire, 1 August 2014)
 
"Fire and earth scientists, anthropologists, ecologists, resource managers, and especially advanced students in natural sciences will find the text, along with its online resources, a requisite addition to their libraries. Not only is it a pleasure to read, simply put, it sparks the imagination." (Fire Ecology, 1 June 2014)
 
"With wildfire recognised in key government contingency documents, not least for climate change, foresters looking for greater understanding of this future challenge over the coming decades, should look no further." (Chartered Forester, 1 May 2014)
 
"This book is a good example of a multidisciplinary investigation. The writers express the wish that it may stimulate further research into fire processes, both 'natural' and induced by humanity. A book worth reading!." (Geological Journal, 29 April 2014)

Dettagli sul prodotto

• Autori: Martin E. Alexander, Alexander Martin E., William Bond, William J. Bond, David M J Bowman, David M J S Bowman, David M. J. S. Bowman, Stephen J. Pyne, A Scott, Andrew Scott, Andrew C Scott, Andrew C. Scott, Andrew C. (Royal Holloway Scott, Andrew C. Bowman Scott, Scott Andrew C.
• Editore: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Lingue: Inglese
• Formato: Copertina rigida
• Pubblicazione: 24.01.2014
• EAN: 9781119953579
• ISBN: 978-1-119-95357-9
• Pagine: 434
• Categorie: Scienze naturali, medicina, informatica, tecnica > Chimica > Chimica fisica; Botanik, Umweltchemie, Geowissenschaften, Life Sciences, Biowissenschaften, Earth Sciences, Plant Science, Allg. Geowissenschaften