Fire activity has been reconstructed for the last 2600 years by charcoal and PAH analysis (Bandowe et al., 2014). Charcoal can be analyzed geochemically, but is also counted with the botanical macrofossil analysis, and can be presented for the last 60,000 years. The respective curves are shown below together with fire biomarker analysis recently published by Kappenberg et al. (2020) for cores DE3 and JW3, which reach back into the Eemian. It is not always unambiguous if fire is from a human or natural source. Sirocko et al. (2005) documented a century of intense aridity and active fire at the end of the last interglacial, the Eemian. Ongoing analysis of micro charcoal visible in distinct layers of petrographic thin sections will add to our understanding of the anthropogenic and natural patterns of aridity extreme events with fire.
To be continued…
