title: Fire in the Earth system.
abstract: Fire is a worldwide phenomenon that appears in the geological record soon after the appearance of terrestrial plants. Fire influences global ecosystem patterns and processes, including vegetation distribution and structure, the carbon cycle, and climate. Although humans and fire have always coexisted, our capacity to manage fire remains imperfect and may become more difficult in the future as climate change alters fire regimes. This risk is difficult to assess, however, because fires are still poorly represented in global models. Here, we discuss some of the most important issues involved in developing a better understanding of the role of fire in the Earth system.
authors.affiliation: University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS 7001, Australia.
authors.forename: David M J S
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Bowman
authors.forename: Jennifer K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Balch
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Artaxo
authors.forename: William J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Bond
authors.forename: Jean M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Carlson
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Cochrane
authors.forename: Carla M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: D'Antonio
authors.forename: Ruth S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Defries
authors.forename: John C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Doyle
authors.forename: Sandy P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Fay H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Jon E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Keeley
authors.forename: Meg A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Krawchuk
authors.forename: Christian A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Kull
authors.forename: J Brad
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Marston
authors.forename: Max A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moritz
authors.forename: I Colin
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Prentice
authors.forename: Christopher I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Roos
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Thomas W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Swetnam
authors.forename: Guido R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: van der Werf
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Pyne
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D002244:Carbon; D002980:Climate; D018534:Earth, Planet; D017753:Ecosystem; D005390:Fires; D006801:Humans; D010944:Plants
chemical_list: D002244:Carbon