Climate change is an issue that has been at the forefront of global conversations for many years. Researchers from the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey have been working diligently to track fire activity over the past 150 years in order to better understand the impact of biomass burning on the Earth’s climate. By measuring carbon monoxide trapped in Antarctic ice, these researchers have uncovered new information that could significantly improve climate models.
The findings, reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveal that biomass burning has been more variable since the 1800s than previously thought. This new data is crucial in bridging the gap in information from the time when humans began to dramatically alter the climate. According to Rachael Rhodes, senior author of the paper from Cambridge’s Department of Earth Sciences, this information is necessary to test and develop climate models accurately.
The researchers charted the strength of biomass burning between 1821 and 1995 by examining carbon monoxide levels in ice cores from Antarctica. These ice cores provide a unique look into the Earth’s atmospheric composition at different points in history. It’s remarkable to see how much information can be extracted from something as simple as ice cores buried under years of snowfall.
One challenge the researchers faced was measuring gas from very young ice that hadn’t had time to form air bubbles. To address this problem, they collected ice from locations where snow accumulates rapidly. By developing a state-of-the-art analysis method, they were able to extract tens of thousands of gas measurements spanning 150 years. This meticulous approach is crucial in understanding the trends in biomass burning over time.
The researchers found that the strength of biomass burning has been steadily declining since the 1920s. This decline has been attributed to the expansion of agriculture in areas like southern Africa, South America, and Australia. As wildlands are converted into farmland, the natural fire regime is altered, leading to changes in the planet’s carbon cycle. This challenges previous assumptions made by climate models and highlights the importance of correcting historic fire activity inventories.
The research conducted by the University of Cambridge and the British Antarctic Survey sheds new light on the impact of biomass burning on climate models. By studying carbon monoxide levels in Antarctic ice cores, researchers have been able to uncover crucial information about the variability of fire activity over the past 150 years. This data is essential for refining climate models and improving the accuracy of future climate forecasts.
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