Perch and Dimple Lakes, Alaska 5000 Year Charcoal Data Hu, F.S.; Higuera, P.E.; Walsh, J.E.; Chapman, W.L.; Duffy, P.A.; Brubaker, L.B.; Chipman, M.L. Hu, F.S. Higuera, P.E. Walsh, J.E. Chapman, W.L. Duffy, P.A. Brubaker, L.B. Chipman, M.L. Arctic earth science/paleoclimate/paleolimnology (age at sample end,null,null,calendar year before present,null,paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/instrumental (temperature,null,null,degree Celsius,Jun-Sep,instrumental,null,null,N,from NCEP reanalysis) earth science/paleoclimate/paleoclimatic modeling (age,null,null,year Common Era,null,paleoclimatic modeling,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleolimnology (depth at sample start,null,null,centimeter,null,paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/instrumental (collection date,null,null,year Common Era,null,instrumental,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/instrumental (precipitation minus evaporation,null,null,millimeter,Jun-Sep,instrumental,null,null,N,from NCEP reanalysis) earth science/paleoclimate/instrumental (burned area,null,null,count,null,instrumental,null,null,N,count of MODIS hotspot points for the AR Fire from 15 July through 1 October 2007) earth science/paleoclimate/paleolimnology (volume magnetic susceptibility,sediment,null,dimensionless (SI system),null,paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/instrumental (evaporation,null,null,millimeter,Jun-Sep,instrumental,null,null,N,from NCEP reanalysis) earth science/paleoclimate/instrumental (collection date,null,null,day of year,null,instrumental,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/fire history|paleolimnology (charcoal,sediment,null,count,null,fire history|paleolimnology,null,null,N,# of charcoal pieces >180 um) earth science/paleoclimate/paleolimnology (depth at sample end,null,null,centimeter,null,paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/instrumental (sea ice cover,null,null,square kilometer,null,instrumental,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleolimnology (age at sample start,null,null,calendar year before present,null,paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/instrumental (burned area,null,null,square kilometer,null,instrumental,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleolimnology (density,dry sediment,null,gram per cubic centimeter,null,paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/fire history|paleolimnology (volume,wet sediment,null,milliliter,null,fire history|paleolimnology,null,null,N,null) earth science/paleoclimate/paleoclimatic modeling (burned area,null,null,square kilometer,null,paleoclimatic modeling,null,null,N,based on GBM model) earth science/paleoclimate/instrumental (precipitation,null,null,millimeter,Jun-Sep,instrumental,null,null,N,from NCEP reanalysis) earth science/paleoclimate/paleolimnology (Dimple Lake>LATITUDE 68.95>LONGITUDE -150.2) (Perch Lake Alaska>LATITUDE 68.9414>LONGITUDE -150.4994) Recent climatic warming has resulted in pronounced environmental changes in the Arctic, including shrub cover expansion and sea ice shrinkage. These changes foreshadow more dramatic impacts that will occur if the warming trend continues. Among the major challenges in anticipating these impacts are "surprises" stemming from changes in system components that have remained relatively stable in the historic record. Tundra burning is potentially one such component. Here we report paleoecological evidence showing that recent tundra burning is unprecedented in the central Alaskan Arctic within the last 5000 years. Analysis of lake sediment cores reveals peak values of charcoal accumulation corresponding to the Anaktuvuk River Fire in 2007, with no evidence of other fire events throughout the past five millennia in that area. Atmospheric reanalysis suggests that the fire was favored by exceptionally warm and dry weather conditions in summer and early autumn. Boosted regression tree modeling shows that such conditions also explain 95% of the interannual variability in tundra area burned throughout Alaska over the past 60 years and that the response of tundra burning to climatic warming is nonlinear. These results contribute to an emerging body of evidence suggesting that tundra ecosystems can burn more frequently under suitable climatic and fuel conditions. The Anaktuvuk River Fire coincides with extreme sea ice retreat, and tundra area burned in Alaska is moderately correlated with sea ice extent from 1979 to 2009 (r = -0.43, p = 0.02). Recurrences of large tundra fires as a result of sea ice disappearance may represent a novel manifestation of coupled marine-terrestrial responses to climatic warming. STUDY NOTES: Chronology, magnetic susceptibility, and macrosopic charcoal (number of pieces >180 microns) from sediments of Dimple and Perch Lakes, North Slope, Alaska. Also included are modern and reanalysis data used to generate Figures 2a, 2b, 3, and 4a of Hu et al. 2010. NCDC-Paleoclimatology https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/data-access/paleoclimatology-data - Bauer Bruce Investigator : Hu, F.S. Investigator : Higuera, P.E. Investigator : Walsh, J.E. Investigator : Chapman, W.L. Investigator : Duffy, P.A. Investigator : Brubaker, L.B. Investigator : Chipman, M.L. 2011-10-06 ONLINE Files online, ASCII https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/12202 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/paleolimnology/northamerica/usa/alaska/perch-dimple2010.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/paleolimnology/northamerica/usa/alaska/perch-dimple2010.xls https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/paleolimnology/northamerica/usa/alaska/perch-dimple2010.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/paleolimnology/northamerica/usa/alaska/perch-dimple2010.xls English https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/study/12202 https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/paleolimnology/northamerica/usa/alaska/perch-dimple2010.txt https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/data/paleo/paleolimnology/northamerica/usa/alaska/perch-dimple2010.xls Hu, F.S., P.E. Higuera, J.E. Walsh, W.L. Chapman, P.A. Duffy, L.B. Brubaker, and M.L. Chipman. 2010. Tundra burning in Alaska: Linkages to climatic change and sea ice retreat. J. Geophys. Res., 115, G04002, doi:10.1029/2009JG001270. START YEAR: 4912 cal yr BP * END YEAR: -58 cal yr BP -150.4994 68.9414 -150.2 68.95