EEPS Colloquium: Tyler Karp

Molecular answers to burning questions: Investigating Ancient Wildfire Dynamics

Wildfire is a critical process in the earth system that has major effects on carbon cycling, climate, and ecosystems. Understanding how fire dynamics have changed though time is critical to better constraining how terrestrial ecosystems may respond to current shifts in climate. Molecular tools such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)—compounds produced by incomplete biomass combustion— can be used in concert with other terrestrial biomarkers to constrain how fire interacted with both climate and vegetation community in ancient systems. Here I present several case studies examining fire feedbacks using PAHs to reconstruct past changes in fire activity. I also walkthrough our efforts to address mixing and taphonomic constraints on PAHs to increase certainty in fire interpretations based on this proxy. 

Host: David Fike

EEPS colloquia are made possible by the William C. Ferguson Fund