We present the carbon isotopic composition of the total organic carbon (TOC) and fine roots in the sedimentary profile from the underground ancient forest in Sihui to study the climatic and environmental changes from 4.5 ka BP to 0.6 ka BP. Results show t
Ping Ding ChengDe Shen Ning Wang WeiXi Yi KeXin Liu XingFang DingDongPo Fu
The history of natural fire and its rela- tionship with climate and vegetation are revealed from the content of elemental carbon and associated pollen data and paleoclimatic substitutive indicators for the loess of Lingtai Section in the last 370 ka BP. The study indicates that intense episodes of vegeta- tion fires occurred during the interim especially when the climate was changing from wet to drought. The average content of elemental carbon in the intergla- ciers is higher than that in the glaciers, which coin- cides with the biomass change locally (or globally). The content of elemental carbon increases in the stage around 130 ka BP, indicating that the vegeta- tion and climate pattern have changed, which may contribute to the variation of CO2. As a whole, the content of elemental carbon increasing with the time reflects the increasing aridity trend to some degree. In addition, the occurrence of the maximum peak and the highest average content of elemental carbon in the Holocene reflects the occurrence of a rapid cli- mate event in 5900 a BP and more frequent fires caused by anthropic activities.
