Abstract
Fires regularly affect many of the world's terrestrial ecosystems, and, as a result, fires mediate the exchange of greenhouse gases (GHG) between the land and the atmosphere at a global scale and affect the capacity of terrestrial ecosystems to store carbon (Bowman et al. 2009). Variations in fire regimes can therefore potentially affect the global, regional and local carbon balance and, potentially, climate change itself (Bonan 2008). Here we examine how variation in fire regimes (Gill 1975; Bradstock et al. 2002) will potentially affect carbon in fire-prone Australian ecosystems via interactions with the stocks and transfers of carbon that are inherent to all terrestrial ecosystems.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Flammable Australia: Fire Regimes, Biodiversity and Ecosystems in a Changing World |
Editors | Ross A. Bradstock, A. Malcolm Gill, Richard J. Williams |
Place of Publication | Melbourne, Vic. |
Publisher | CSIRO |
Pages | 273-292 |
Number of pages | 20 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780643104822 |
Publication status | Published - 2012 |
Keywords
- prescribed burning
- fire management
- greenhouse effect, atmospheric
- forest fires
- greenhouse gases
- carbon emissions