Global and Planetary Change最新文献_第3页

Antarctic warming affects northern Equatorial Indian Ocean SST via oceanic tunnels 南极变暖通过海洋隧道影响赤道印度洋北部海温

IF 4 1区地球科学

Global and Planetary Change Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-16 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105321

Sharmila Sherin , Manish Tiwari , Vikash Kumar

引用次数: 0

Carbonate-associated phosphate evidence for a small inorganic phosphorus reservoir in the terminal Ediacaran ocean 埃迪卡拉末期海洋中一个小型无机磷储层的碳酸盐岩伴生磷酸盐证据

IF 4 1区地球科学

Global and Planetary Change Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-05 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105284

Yonghan Fan , Meng Cheng , Xinyang Chen , Catherine Rose , Haiyang Wang , Zihu Zhang , Thomas J. Algeo , Chao Li

{"title":"Carbonate-associated phosphate evidence for a small inorganic phosphorus reservoir in the terminal Ediacaran ocean","authors":"Yonghan Fan , Meng Cheng , Xinyang Chen , Catherine Rose , Haiyang Wang , Zihu Zhang , Thomas J. Algeo , Chao Li","doi":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105284","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105284","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The terminal Ediacaran (ca. 551–533 Ma) was characterized by profound biological innovations and environmental upheavals, in which phosphorus (P)—the ultimate limiting nutrient for marine productivity—is postulated to have played a key role. However, P availability in the terminal Ediacaran ocean remains uncertain due to the lack of an appropriate proxy record. To better reconstruct seawater P levels during this time interval, we analyzed carbonate-associated phosphate [CAP; expressed as CAP/(Ca + Mg)], a new proxy for P availability in ancient oceans, in three upper Ediacaran successions: the Nama Group (Namibia), the Shibantan Member of the Dengying Formation (Wuhe, South China), and the Algal Dolomite, Gaojiashan and Beiwan members of the Dengying Formation (Gaojiashan, South China). Our results reveal consistently low CAP/(Ca + Mg) values (range: 0.02–0.69 mmol/mol, mean: 0.13 ± 0.01 mmol/mol, 2σ, the same below) for all study sections, falling at the lower end of modern marine carbonate values. Lithofacies, carbonate oxygen isotopes, Mn/Sr and Mg/(Mg + Ca) ratios indicate possible influences from release of Fe-bound P, meteoric diagenesis, recrystallization or dolomitization. The low CAP/(Ca + Mg) values thus represent a maximum estimate for the seawater P availability. The low CAP values from two geographically separated cratons likely reflect a generally small oceanic inorganic P reservoir at least in shelves. This study provides insights into the interplay between nutrient cycling, redox dynamics, and biological evolution during one of the most pivotal transitional periods in Earth history.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55089,"journal":{"name":"Global and Planetary Change","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 105284"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145902911","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Plio–Pleistocene shift in East Asian weathering regimes: From continental margin floodplains to highland erosion in the Yellow River basin, inferred from geochemical and lithium isotopic records 东亚风化机制的上新世-更新世转移：从地球化学和锂同位素记录推断的黄河流域大陆边缘洪泛平原到高原侵蚀

IF 4 1区地球科学

Global and Planetary Change Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-19 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105312

Fangliang Li , Shouye Yang , Evan J. Ramos , Daniel O. Breecker , Yulong Guo , Jingrui Li , Fangbing Li , Chengfan Yang , Chenyang Jin

{"title":"Plio–Pleistocene shift in East Asian weathering regimes: From continental margin floodplains to highland erosion in the Yellow River basin, inferred from geochemical and lithium isotopic records","authors":"Fangliang Li , Shouye Yang , Evan J. Ramos , Daniel O. Breecker , Yulong Guo , Jingrui Li , Fangbing Li , Chengfan Yang , Chenyang Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105312","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105312","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Continental weathering regulates long-term climate via atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub> consumption. Understanding how weathering regimes respond to tectonic and climatic forcing is therefore essential for clarifying the weathering-climate relationships. The Plio-Pleistocene reorganization of the Yellow River drainage provides an ideal setting to investigate such changes. While accumulating evidence suggests establishment of the modern-like drainage system no later than ∼1 Ma, how this geomorphic transformation affected weathering patterns remains unexplored. Here, we address this question using new Li isotopic data (δ<sup>7</sup>Li) from a marginal sea sediment core, integrated with Nd isotopes and geochemical records. Our multi-proxy record reveals a coupled provenance and weathering regime shift during the Mid-Pleistocene Transition (MPT). The εNd values shift from cratonic (−12 to −16) to orogenic (−10 to −12) signatures, while δ<sup>7</sup>Li values of weathering products transition from −2.7 ± 0.9‰ to −0.9 ± 0.6‰. Combined with mineralogical and geochemical weathering indices, these data document a shift from more incongruent weathering dominated by continental margin floodplains to more congruent weathering governed by highlands of the NE Tibetan Plateau and Loess Plateau. We interpret this transition as a direct response to Yellow River reorganization, which replaced proximal cratonic sources with detritus from rapidly eroding orogenic and loess regions. Our study thus demonstrates that the balance between floodplain and mountain weathering set by large river drainage integration, maybe an important control on the type and intensity of silicate weathering over geologic timescales.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55089,"journal":{"name":"Global and Planetary Change","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 105312"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146001039","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Reduced spatial heterogeneity of day-night temperature variability difference under global changes 降低了全球变化下昼夜温差的空间异质性

IF 4 1区地球科学

Global and Planetary Change Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-13 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105311

Fayong Liu , Fangli Wei , Yuanyuan Huang

{"title":"Reduced spatial heterogeneity of day-night temperature variability difference under global changes","authors":"Fayong Liu , Fangli Wei , Yuanyuan Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105311","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105311","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Temperature and its variability underpin numerous earth system processes and human activities, yet variations occurring under darkness remain insufficiently explored. In this study, we quantified nighttime temperature variability (Night<sub>var</sub>) and daytime temperature variability (Day<sub>var</sub>) using three complementary methods: range, range/mean, and standard deviation, allowing us to examine both their shared patterns and distinct characteristics. Globally, both Day<sub>var</sub> and Night<sub>var</sub> declined significantly (−0.18 °C century<sup>−1</sup>, <em>P</em> < 0.05), yet slower than the diurnal temperature range (−0.23 °C century<sup>−1</sup>, 1950–2023). The day–night temperature variability difference (Differ<sub>var</sub>) showed great spatial heterogeneity, with higher Differ<sub>var</sub> in tropics while lower in high latitudes. These regional contrasts have been weakening, attributed to the declining albedo in northern mid-to-high latitudes and less sensible heat flux from surface to atmosphere in tropics. The overall shrinkage of the spatial heterogeneity in Differ<sub>var</sub> during historical period indicates different biomes are experiencing divergent impacts of Day<sub>var</sub> and Night<sub>var</sub> changes. This study addresses knowledge gaps in temperature variability at diurnal scale, offering new insights into the global shifted temperature regimes under climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55089,"journal":{"name":"Global and Planetary Change","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 105311"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145962400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Repeated pulses of volcanism drove terrestrial vegetation and climate changes during the Late Triassic Carnian Pluvial Episode in North China 华北晚三叠世卡尼期多雨期火山活动的反复脉动驱动了陆相植被和气候的变化

IF 4 1区地球科学

Global and Planetary Change Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-13 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105301

Peixin Zhang , Minfang Yang , Jing Lu , Jacopo Dal Corso , Zhongfeng Jiang , Lei Wang , Kai Zhou , Xiaotao Xu , Yanghang Guo , Huijuan Chen , Longyi Shao , Zhen Xu , Jason Hilton

{"title":"Repeated pulses of volcanism drove terrestrial vegetation and climate changes during the Late Triassic Carnian Pluvial Episode in North China","authors":"Peixin Zhang , Minfang Yang , Jing Lu , Jacopo Dal Corso , Zhongfeng Jiang , Lei Wang , Kai Zhou , Xiaotao Xu , Yanghang Guo , Huijuan Chen , Longyi Shao , Zhen Xu , Jason Hilton","doi":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105301","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105301","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Late Triassic Carnian Pluvial Episode (CPE; ∼234–232 Ma) witnessed profound changes in terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation, and climate, which could be related to eruptions of Wrangellia Large Igneous Province (LIP). Nonetheless, the scarcity of detailed terrestrial plant records limits understanding of whether these floral and climate changes were synchronized with Wrangellia's eruption pulses. Here, we investigated high-resolution palynological data through the CPE from the Jiyuan terrestrial Basin in North China. Our data reveal four distinct phases of terrestrial vegetation transition from xerophytes to hygrophytes, with each shift accompanied by pronounced climate transformations from relatively cool-dry to relatively warm-humid conditions. Each vegetation shift is linked temporally with volcanic activity indicators including negative organic carbon isotope excursions, Hg and Hg/TOC peaks, and near-zero Δ<sup>199</sup>Hg isotope values. After the first, third and fourth eruptions, vegetation recovery showed resilience with floral reassembly broadly similar to pre-eruption floras. In contrast, the impact of the second eruption was apparently larger and triggered more dramatic changes including a surge in terrestrial plant diversity and hygrophytic species, with vegetation recovery having a distinct and more modern floral composition (e.g., Dipteridaceae, Matoniaceae, Pinaceae, and Podocarpaceae) that persisted after the CPE. Our findings offer new insights into the links between LIP volcanism and terrestrial vegetation and climate changes during the CPE, and demonstrates differential floral and climatic responses to different scales of major CO<sub>2</sub>-driven global warming events in deep time in otherwise similar environmental contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55089,"journal":{"name":"Global and Planetary Change","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 105301"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145962397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Spatially focused exhumation supports short-wavelength deformation in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau 空间聚焦挖掘支持青藏高原东南部短波形变

IF 4 1区地球科学

Global and Planetary Change Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-18 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105319

Guihong Zhang , Yuntao Tian , Philippe Hervé Leloup , Zengjie Zhang , Peizhen Zhang

{"title":"Spatially focused exhumation supports short-wavelength deformation in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Guihong Zhang , Yuntao Tian , Philippe Hervé Leloup , Zengjie Zhang , Peizhen Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105319","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105319","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The wider occurrence of high topography on the eastern side of the Tibetan Plateau compared to the western side has sparked debate about the geodynamic mechanisms responsible for eastward plateau growth. Existing end-member models highlight either coherent block extrusion dominated by localized deformation along major faults, or plateau-scale distributed deformation driven by lower crustal flow. These two models have contrasting predictions in terms of spatial pattern of deformation and rock exhumation. Here, we reconstruct the Cenozoic exhumation pattern along a ∼ 150-km-long transect perpendicular to the NE-striking Ailaoshan-Red River shear zone, one of the largest Cenozoic strike-slip faults in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. Exhumation rate modeling using new and published thermochronological ages shows a high spatial variation. Results reveal a sharp decrease from rapid Oligocene (∼1.9–4.1 km/m.y.) and Miocene (∼0.1–0.15 km/m.y.) exhumation within the ∼15 km-wide central Ailao Shan shear zone to minimum exhumation (∼0.03 km/m.y.) in the surrounding regions. Such a spatially short-wavelength exhumation pattern conflicts with models predicting long-wavelength deformation of crust, but supports the important role of highly localized deformation along major faults dominating the eastward plateau growth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55089,"journal":{"name":"Global and Planetary Change","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 105319"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145995744","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

The footprint of urbanization on land surface phenology in China 中国城市化足迹对地表物候的影响

IF 4 1区地球科学

Global and Planetary Change Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-12 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105306

Jialu Gong , Jianjun Zhao , Yeqiao Wang , Hongyan Zhang , LiangXian Fan , Tao Xiong , Yuyu Zhou

{"title":"The footprint of urbanization on land surface phenology in China","authors":"Jialu Gong , Jianjun Zhao , Yeqiao Wang , Hongyan Zhang , LiangXian Fan , Tao Xiong , Yuyu Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105306","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105306","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urbanization exerts a considerable influence on land surface phenology (LSP), however, the extent and spatial footprint of such impacts have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we derived the LSP parameters based on the MOD13Q1 product and quantified urbanization's impact along an area-based urban-rural gradient. According to our findings, urbanization causes the start of the growing season (SOS) to begin earlier and the end of the growing season (EOS) to terminate later in urban areas. This effect exhibits a logarithmic decay pattern along the urban-rural gradient, with its footprint proportional to urban size. For the total area, urbanization's footprint on SOS was 5 to 5.5 times the urban size beyond its boundary, while that of EOS ranged from 4.5 to 5.5 times. The urban-rural difference in SOS was greater in regions characterized by cold dry winters, while the difference in EOS was greater in arid regions and climate zones with hot summers and dry winters. Urbanization exerted a broader footprint on LSP where adequate moisture and mild summer temperatures converge. Cropland-dominated areas exhibited greater urban-rural differences in EOS and a wider footprint of urbanization on SOS. These findings highlight the necessity of considering climate background, latitude, and vegetation type in urban-rural phenology research, which is crucial for understanding the variations in urban ecosystems under the backdrop of global climate change.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55089,"journal":{"name":"Global and Planetary Change","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 105306"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145957013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Holocene climate optimum moisture variability in the monsoon marginal zone of northern China revealed by multi-proxy stalagmite records 多代石笋记录揭示的中国北方季风边缘区全新世气候最适湿度变率

IF 4 1区地球科学

Global and Planetary Change Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2025-12-30 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105278

Shouyi Huang , Yanjun Cai , Gang Xue , Xinhui Zhang , Mei He , Ruoxin Li , Yingying Wei , Le Ma , Xing Cheng , Haiwei Zhang , Hai Cheng

{"title":"Holocene climate optimum moisture variability in the monsoon marginal zone of northern China revealed by multi-proxy stalagmite records","authors":"Shouyi Huang , Yanjun Cai , Gang Xue , Xinhui Zhang , Mei He , Ruoxin Li , Yingying Wei , Le Ma , Xing Cheng , Haiwei Zhang , Hai Cheng","doi":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105278","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2025.105278","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reconciling the diverse climate responses of various geological archives poses a challenge for a comprehensive understanding of the Holocene climate change in East Asia. Here, we present multi-proxy records of two precisely dated stalagmites from the northeastern Chinese Loess Plateau. A comparative analysis reveals that the main depositional period (∼9.6–5.9 ka BP) of one stalagmite directly corresponds to the Holocene Climate Optimum (HCO) in northern China. The stalagmite δ<sup>18</sup>O exhibits a quasi-500-year cyclicity throughout the HCO, which aligns with other records from the North Atlantic, East Asia, and Mediterranean during the cycle from ∼8.3 to 7.8 ka BP, likely reflecting the 8.2 ka event's imprint. Meanwhile, divergent phase relationships occurred during other intervals, indicating regionally distinct responses to solar-driven coupled ocean-atmosphere oscillations. Furthermore, multiple hydroclimate proxies and the stalagmite growth rate from the same stalagmite reveal a shift in the precipitation regimes, manifested as the rainy season extending from summer to autumn after ∼7.8 ka BP. Changes in the position and intensity of the subtropical westerly jet may drive this shift.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55089,"journal":{"name":"Global and Planetary Change","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 105278"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145895048","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Declining anthropogenic wildfires in South American savannas 南美大草原人为野火减少

IF 4 1区地球科学

Global and Planetary Change Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-12 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105305

Yuxin Lou , Qi Zhang , Yaqi Jiang , Cong Gao , Chunming Shi

{"title":"Declining anthropogenic wildfires in South American savannas","authors":"Yuxin Lou , Qi Zhang , Yaqi Jiang , Cong Gao , Chunming Shi","doi":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105305","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105305","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Wildfires represent a fundamental natural disturbance process in terrestrial ecosystems, originating from both natural phenomena and human activities. Differentiating natural fires (NFs) from anthropogenic fires (AFs) and elucidating their spatial heterogeneity and underlying drivers are critical for developing targeted wildfire management strategies. We applied a classification framework integrating lightning fire probability (LFP) with the Human Footprint (HFP) index, validating it against North American wildfire attribution records and achieving 73.5 % accuracy for NF and 85.7 % for AF. This approach enabled systematic classification of fire origins across South American savannas. Spatiotemporal analyses reveal divergent trends: AFs exhibited significant declines in frequency, burned area, and associated carbon emissions, whereas NFs exhibited statistically non-significant increases across all metrics. These opposing patterns are primarily attributable to region-specific fire suppression policies targeting AFs and intensifying hot and dry conditions driven by anthropogenic climate change that promote NFs. Although total AFs occurrences outnumbered NFs, fire activity intensities were significantly higher for NFs. Furthermore, correlations between fire activity and climatic/fuel indicators were significantly stronger for NFs than for AFs. Collectively, these findings provide an empirical foundation for designing targeted wildfire management frameworks that explicitly account for the distinct drivers and responses of NFs and AFs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55089,"journal":{"name":"Global and Planetary Change","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 105305"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145956973","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Multi-millennial reconstruction of fire return intervals from a fynbos – Afrotemperate forest ecotone in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa: Paleoecological implications for present-day management 南非开普区温带-温带森林交错带复火间隔的千年重建：对当今管理的古生态学意义

IF 4 1区地球科学

Global and Planetary Change Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-12 DOI: 10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105307

Stella G. Mosher , Mitchell J. Power , Lynne J. Quick , Brian M. Chase , Torsten Haberzettl , Thomas Kasper , Simon C. Brewer , David R. Braun , J. Tyler Faith

{"title":"Multi-millennial reconstruction of fire return intervals from a fynbos – Afrotemperate forest ecotone in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa: Paleoecological implications for present-day management","authors":"Stella G. Mosher , Mitchell J. Power , Lynne J. Quick , Brian M. Chase , Torsten Haberzettl , Thomas Kasper , Simon C. Brewer , David R. Braun , J. Tyler Faith","doi":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105307","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.gloplacha.2026.105307","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In South Africa's highly biodiverse and fire-adapted Cape Floristic Region, fire is critical to maintaining ecosystem health and for the reproductive strategies of many endemic species. Ecological studies have identified fire return intervals (FRIs) of approximately 10–15 years. However, the short timescale of these observations, derived from anthropogenically impacted systems, means that the extent to which these FRIs are maintained over millennia, and how vegetation dynamics co-vary with fire frequency is poorly resolved. Here, we analyze a high-resolution macrocharcoal record from a lacustrine sedimentary archive to reconstruct fire return intervals over four millennia at a fynbos-afrotemperate forest ecotone along South Africa's southern Cape coast. We address variability in fire activity (i.e., more or less burning) and FRIs in relation to pollen-derived reconstructions of local vegetation change and regional shifts in moisture availability over the past 4200 years. We document a range of FRIs between 10.5 and 166 years. We find that FRIs shift towards longer intervals, fire activity decreases, and afrotemperate forest vegetation becomes more abundant during periods of increased moisture availability. Our historical (1890–2013 CE) FRI reconstruction is consistent with ∼10–15 years between burns, but one must only look back a few centuries to see FRIs far outside the range of variability observed today. This suggests that our present-day ecological lens is not representative of the full range of natural variability experienced at this site over the past four millennia. This work provides long-term ecological context to land managers working towards the conservation and protection of fynbos.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":55089,"journal":{"name":"Global and Planetary Change","volume":"258 ","pages":"Article 105307"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145957012","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0