SSS
Soil System Sciences

wildfires

Fire and soil microorganisms: where should we focus on?

May 6, 2015
Fire and soil microorganisms: where should we focus on?
Experimental burn carried out to study the impacts of fire on soil. Credit: Imaggeo/Antonio Jordán.

Gema Bárcenas-Moreno University of Seville, Sevilla, Spain Currently, the complexity of soil microbial ecology on soil systems is a hot topic in the environmental sciences, since the scientific community has achieved a deep knowledge of the relevance of microorganisms in soil processes. After several decades of study of the effects of wildfires on soils, one of the main conclusions is that soil mi ...[Read More]

Wildfires and soil: Where are we now?

March 3, 2015

Lorena M. Zavala. University of Seville, Sevilla, Spain Antonio Jordán. University of Seville, Sevilla, Spain Jorge Mataix-Solera. University Miguel Hernández, Elche, Spain Artemi Cerdà. University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain Are wildfires a natural ecological factor or an environmental problem? According to official statistics, during the 1990’s, about 1.5 millions ha were burned in Spain. ...[Read More]

Monday paper: Short-term changes in soil Munsell colour value, organic matter content and soil water repellency after a spring grassland fire in Lithuania

February 16, 2015

Pereira P, Úbeda X, Mataix-Solera J, Oliva M, Novara A: Short-term changes in soil Munsell colour value, organic matter content and soil water repellency after a spring grassland fire in Lithuania. Solid Earth, 5, 209-225. DOI: 10.5194/se-5-209-2014. Abstract Fire is a natural phenomenon with important implications on soil properties. The degree of this impact depends upon fire severity, the ecosy ...[Read More]

Monday paper: Thermal shock and splash effects on burned gypseous soils from the Ebro Basin (NE Spain)

February 16, 2015

León J, Seeger M, Badía D, Peters P, Echevarría T: Thermal shock and splash effects on burned gypseous soils from the Ebro Basin (NE Spain). Solid Earth, 5, 131-140. DOI: 10.5194/se-5-131-2014. Abstract Fire is a natural factor of landscape evolution in Mediterranean ecosystems. The middle Ebro Valley has extreme aridity, which results in a low plant cover and high soil erodibility, especially on ...[Read More]