Two thousand years of boreal biomass burning recorded in the NEEM ice cores

Abstract

This paper synthesizes information from three geochemical fire activity proxies, i.e. levoglucosan, black carbon, and ammonium measured in the NEEM and NEEM-2011-S1 ice cores from Greenland to investigate interactions between Northern Hemisphere fire activity, climate, and possible human influences in boreal regions over the last 2000 years. The multi-proxy (levoglucosan, black carbon, and ammonium) reconstruction of fire activity based on the NEEM ice cores suggests that temperature was the main control on boreal fire activity over the past two thousand years, while major droughts influenced biomass burning over decadal timescales. PU - PAGES International Project Office PA - Bern