Simulation of Smoldering Combustion of Organic Horizons at Pine and Spruce Boreal Forests with Lab-Heating Experiments

Nikolay Gorbach (), Viktor Startsev, Anton Mazur, Evgeniy Milanovskiy, Anatoly Prokushkin and Alexey Dymov
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Nikolay Gorbach: Institute of Natural Sciences, Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University, 167001 Syktyvkar, Russia
Viktor Startsev: Institute of Biology of Komi Science Centre of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 167982 Syktyvkar, Russia
Anton Mazur: Center for Magnetic Resonance, Saint Petersburg State University, 198504 Saint Petersburg, Russia
Evgeniy Milanovskiy: Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, RAS, 142290 Pushchino, Russia
Anatoly Prokushkin: V.N. Sukachev Institute of Forest SB RAS, 660036 Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Alexey Dymov: Institute of Natural Sciences, Pitirim Sorokin Syktyvkar State University, 167001 Syktyvkar, Russia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-20

Abstract: Wildfire is a threat for many boreal ecosystems and induces deep modifications in organic horizons. In this paper, we have considered fire-induced changes to the organic horizon properties. The effect of fire was studied by using a forest litter burning experiment. Sample heating was performed in the lab at fixed temperatures (200, 300 and 500 °C), on a set of O horizons developed under pine ( Flavocetraria-Pinetum association) and spruce ( Piceetum hylocomium splendens association) forest litters. Litters were analyzed in terms of pH, specific electrical conductivity, specific surface area, total carbon (C tot ) and nitrogen (N tot ) content, water-soluble carbon and nitrogen, δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotope analysis and 13 C NMR spectroscopy. The mean pH values increased from ~5 to ~8.2 with an increase in the influence of temperature. The specific electrical conductivity and specific surface area properties increased as well from ~255 to ~432 and from 0.42 to 1.84, respectively. C tot and N tot decreased, but at the same time the inorganic carbon content increased. The aromaticity of organic matter after the fire increased. The results of the present study show that organic horizons are changed by wildfire and this discussion made it clear to help with the understanding how fire affects organic matter.

Keywords: wildfires; boreal forest; soil organic matter; combustion experiment; solid-state 13 C NMR; δ 13 C and δ 15 N stable isotopes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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