Sulphur: a proxy for wildfires in stalagmites
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Date
2018-12-12
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Australasian Quaternary Association Inc.
Abstract
Bushfires are a global hazard that can have catastrophic impacts on communities and ecosystems.
However, there is limited baseline data on how fire frequency and intensity have responded to
climate change in the past. A speleothem-based bushfire record will allow us to determine long-term
natural fire regimes and better understand the relationship between bushfires and climate. Recent
research has demonstrated the potential of using sulphur as a speleothem paleofire proxy1 but a full
characterisation of S in the karst environments of SW Western Australia is lacking. Here, we quantify
the relative contributions of different sources of sulphur in a modern cave environment through the
characterisation of rainfall, soil, bedrock, vegetation and cave drip water sulphate concentration and
isotopic values (δ18O- SO4 and δ34S- SO4) to assess the role of sulphur cycling through the biomass
in response to burn events at this site. This information will be used to interpret the SO4 isotope
record, supported by other proxies in a 2-12 ka speleothem from SW Western Australia. This is the
first speleothem SO4 isotope study in the southern hemisphere and the first in the world to use
speleothem S isotopes in a paleofire context. © Author(s)
Description
Keywords
Sulfates, Fires, Fire hazards, Natural disasters, Caves, Ecosystems, Climatic change, Australia, Western Australia
Citation
Coleborn, K., Baker, A., Treble, P., & Wynn, P. (2018). Sulphur: a proxy for wildfires in stalagmites. Paper presented at the AQUA Biennial Conference, Canberra, 10-14th December 2018. (pp. 27). Retrieved from: https://aqua.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/AQUA-2018-Program.pdf