Universität zu Köln

Wolf, Mareike, Lehndorff, Eva, Mrowald, Matthias, Eckmeier, Eileen ORCID: 0000-0003-3053-8226, Kehl, Martin ORCID: 0000-0003-4587-5858, Frechen, Manfred, Paetzold, Stefan and Amelung, Wulf ORCID: 0000-0002-4920-4667 (2014). Black carbon: Fire fingerprints in Pleistocene loess-palaeosol archives in Germany. Org. Geochem., 70. S. 44 - 53. OXFORD: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. ISSN 0146-6380

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Abstract

Past environmental changes were frequently accompanied by changes in fire regimes. However, the extent to which the residue of ancient fires (black carbon, BC) is abundant in Pleistocene palaeosols remains largely unknown, and whether, and to which degree its occurrence and composition relates to pedogenetic processes and palaeoenvironmental change. We studied three Pleistocene loess-palaeosol sequences from western Germany for systematic variation in BC quantity and quality during Marine Isotope Stages 5e to 4 (ca. 130-65 ka BP), using the benzene polycarboxylic acid (BPCA) oxidation method. Palaeopedogenetic processes were elucidated from grain size distribution, colour, organic and inorganic carbon and Ba/Sr ratio. The results showed that BC peaked during phases of soil formation, indicated by increases in Ba/Sr, carbonate loss and colour change. Its concentration reached 0.6-2.1 g BC C/kg of former topsoil. The content was close to the detection limit in the parent loess and subsoil, suggesting that there was little if any vertical translocation. Parameters for BC quality (i.e. proportion of mellitic acid) were typical for BC derived from the burning of grass and leaves, as common for tundra-like and forest steppe vegetation dominating in stadials and interstadials of the Weichselian Glaciation. We conclude that BC was preserved in, and bears comparable information in, the three palaeosols. Hence, we recommend BPCA analysis of terrestrial archives for regional fire regime assessment in the Pleistocene. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Wolf, Mareike UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Lehndorff, Eva UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Mrowald, Matthias UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Eckmeier, Eileen UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-3053-8226 UNSPECIFIED Kehl, Martin UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0003-4587-5858 UNSPECIFIED Frechen, Manfred UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Paetzold, Stefan UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED Amelung, Wulf UNSPECIFIED orcid.org/0000-0002-4920-4667 UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-439589
DOI:	10.1016/j.orggeochem.2014.03.002
Journal or Publication Title:	Org. Geochem.
Volume:	70
Page Range:	S. 44 - 53
Date:	2014
Publisher:	PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
Place of Publication:	OXFORD
ISSN:	0146-6380
Language:	English
Faculty:	Unspecified
Divisions:	Unspecified
Subjects:	no entry
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language ORGANIC-MATTER; GRASSLAND SOILS; GRAIN-SIZE; BIOMASS; CHARCOAL; REGIMES; QUALITY; COLOR; GEOCHRONOLOGY; TEMPERATURE Multiple languages Geochemistry & Geophysics Multiple languages
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/43958