Fire in the Earth System
David M. J. S. Bowman(University of Tasmania), Jennifer K. Balch(Woodwell Climate Research Center), Paulo Artaxo(Universidade de São Paulo), William J. Bond(University of Cape Town), Jean M. Carlson(University of California, Santa Barbara), Mark A. Cochrane(South Dakota State University), Carla M. D’Antonio(University of California, Santa Barbara), Ruth DeFries(Columbia University), John C. Doyle(California Institute of Technology), Sandy P. Harrison(University of Bristol), Fay H. Johnston(University of Tasmania), Jon E. Keeley(United States Geological Survey), Meg A. Krawchuk(University of California, Berkeley), Christian A. Kull(Monash University), J. Brad Marston(Brown University), Max A. Moritz(University of California, Berkeley), I. Colin Prentice(University of Bristol), Christopher I. Roos(The Ohio State University), Andrew C. Scott(Royal Holloway University of London), Thomas W. Swetnam(University of Arizona), Guido R. van der Werf(Department of Earth Sciences), Stephen J. Pyne(Arizona State University)
Cited by 3,253Open Access
Abstract
Fire is a worldwide phenomenon that appears in the geological record soon after the appearance of terrestrial plants. Fire influences global ecosystem patterns and processes, including vegetation distribution and structure, the carbon cycle, and climate. Although humans and fire have always coexisted, our capacity to manage fire remains imperfect and may become more difficult in the future as climate change alters fire regimes. This risk is difficult to assess, however, because fires are still poorly represented in global models. Here, we discuss some of the most important issues involved in developing a better understanding of the role of fire in the Earth system.
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