Abstract
PROJECTIONS of the ecological effects of global climate change often include increased frequency and/or intensity of forest fires in regions of warmer and drier climate1-3. In addition to disturbing biological systems, widespread intense fires may influence the evolution of the physical landscape through greatly enhanced sediment transport4. Debris-flow to flood-streamflow sedimentation events following the 1988 fires in the Yellowstone National Park area (Wyoming and Montana, USA) have allowed us to examine the geomorphological response to fire in a mountain environment. Abundant analogous deposits in older alluvial fan sequences bear witness to past fire-related sedimentation events in northeastern Yellowstone, and radiocarbon dating of these events yields a detailed chronology of fire-related sedimentation for the past 3,500 years. We find that alluvial fans aggrade during periods of frequent fire-related sedimentation events, and we interpret these periods as subject to drought or high climatic variability. During wetter periods, sediment is removed from alluvial fan storage and transported down axial streams, resulting in floodplain aggradation. The dominant alluvial activity is strongly modulated by climate, with fire acting as a drought-actuated catalyst for sediment transport.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 147-150 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Nature |
| Volume | 357 |
| Issue number | 6374 |
| State | Published - May 14 1992 |
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ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General
- Environmental Science(all)
- Earth and Planetary Sciences(all)
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Response of alluvial systems to fire and climate change in Yellowstone National Park. / Meyer, Grant A.; Wells, Stephen G.; Balling, Robert; Jull, A. J Timothy.
In: Nature, Vol. 357, No. 6374, 14.05.1992, p. 147-150.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Response of alluvial systems to fire and climate change in Yellowstone National Park
AU - Meyer, Grant A.
AU - Wells, Stephen G.
AU - Balling, Robert
AU - Jull, A. J Timothy
PY - 1992/5/14
Y1 - 1992/5/14
N2 - PROJECTIONS of the ecological effects of global climate change often include increased frequency and/or intensity of forest fires in regions of warmer and drier climate1-3. In addition to disturbing biological systems, widespread intense fires may influence the evolution of the physical landscape through greatly enhanced sediment transport4. Debris-flow to flood-streamflow sedimentation events following the 1988 fires in the Yellowstone National Park area (Wyoming and Montana, USA) have allowed us to examine the geomorphological response to fire in a mountain environment. Abundant analogous deposits in older alluvial fan sequences bear witness to past fire-related sedimentation events in northeastern Yellowstone, and radiocarbon dating of these events yields a detailed chronology of fire-related sedimentation for the past 3,500 years. We find that alluvial fans aggrade during periods of frequent fire-related sedimentation events, and we interpret these periods as subject to drought or high climatic variability. During wetter periods, sediment is removed from alluvial fan storage and transported down axial streams, resulting in floodplain aggradation. The dominant alluvial activity is strongly modulated by climate, with fire acting as a drought-actuated catalyst for sediment transport.
AB - PROJECTIONS of the ecological effects of global climate change often include increased frequency and/or intensity of forest fires in regions of warmer and drier climate1-3. In addition to disturbing biological systems, widespread intense fires may influence the evolution of the physical landscape through greatly enhanced sediment transport4. Debris-flow to flood-streamflow sedimentation events following the 1988 fires in the Yellowstone National Park area (Wyoming and Montana, USA) have allowed us to examine the geomorphological response to fire in a mountain environment. Abundant analogous deposits in older alluvial fan sequences bear witness to past fire-related sedimentation events in northeastern Yellowstone, and radiocarbon dating of these events yields a detailed chronology of fire-related sedimentation for the past 3,500 years. We find that alluvial fans aggrade during periods of frequent fire-related sedimentation events, and we interpret these periods as subject to drought or high climatic variability. During wetter periods, sediment is removed from alluvial fan storage and transported down axial streams, resulting in floodplain aggradation. The dominant alluvial activity is strongly modulated by climate, with fire acting as a drought-actuated catalyst for sediment transport.
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M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0026464670
VL - 357
SP - 147
EP - 150
JO - Nature
JF - Nature
SN - 0028-0836
IS - 6374
ER -