Stanes Tell Secrets o Auncient Wildfires

Scientists in Scotland hae unveiled a grundbrakkin technique tae analyse charcoal, shedin licht on wildfires dat brunt da Yird millions o year syne. Dis innovative method, developed by geoscientists at da University o Aberdeen an fire engineers at da University o Edinburgh, promises tae braiden oor unnerstaundin o wildfires durin baith past an present climate shifts.

Da research, published in da journal Scientific Reports, reveals dat dis technique can trace wildfire behaviour back tae da earliest evidence o fire, datin back 420 million year. Wi da alarmin rise in wildfire activity globally, pairticularly in vulnerable weetland ecosystems, dis new insicht is richt on time. Recent wildfires in California, whit ravaged ower 18,000 hames, pynt oot da growin intensity an duration o fire seasons, a trend linked tae climate chynge. Unnerstaundin da history o wildfires is crucial, as dey hae shaped ecosystems throu geological history, especially durin periods o extreme climate chynge.

Da team employed advanced laser technology, kent as Raman spectroscopy, tae analyse charcoals created in controlled wildfire experiments. Dis merks da first time researchers hae calculated wildfire energy release frae charcoal chemistry, allouin for a deeper unnerstaundin o naitural fuel mixes an wildfire reconstructions ower ages.

Dr. Thomas Theurer frae da University o Aberdeen stated, “We can study chynges in auncient plant life, climate, an fire preserved in rock, helpin us grasp da drivers o intense fire activity in da past.” His colleague, Dr. Dmitri Mauquoy, emphasised dat traditional methods o estimatin ancient fire temperatures micht nae provide a complete picture. “Oor method quantifies energy release frae wildfires uisin charcoal remains, makin it a non-destructive an universal approach.”

This new method offers insichts intae hoo past fire activity has evolved wi climate chynge, independent o human influence. Professor Rory Hadden frae da University o Edinburgh noted da importance o dis research in predictin future fire activity an its potential impacts on global ecosystems an communities.

As charcoal is a common by-product o fire, da possibilities for applyin dis method extend ayont wildfire studies. It cuid benefit fields like archaeology, forensic investigations, an fire safety science, appenin new avenues for unnerstaundin fire’s role in oor warld.