Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2024 number 1

The article presents the results of reconstruction of the long-term paleo-fire dynamics in the forest-steppe zone of Western Siberia (Novosibirsk oblast) using the example of the Nikolaevsky ryam peat thickness. According to the radiocarbon dating, the studied peat column has been formed during 3200 cal. yr BP from the Late Subboreal to the present. Twenty-one local fire episodes were identified and time of their occurrence, frequency and intensity were determined based on the macro-charcoal and radiocarbon analysеs. In addition, data on the dynamics of paleo-fires in the forest-steppe ryam were compared with published paleoclimatic reconstructions for the Baraba lowland. At the end of the Subboreal period, six pyrogenic episodes were identified with a peak of fire activity during 2850-2750 cal. yr BP at a rate of accumulation of charcoal particles of 370 particles cm²/year. Most of the fires occurred in the Subatlantic period, namely, 15 fire episodes with the largest local fire activity in the period of 1100-1050 cal. yr BP and the rate of accumulation of charcoal particles reaching 600 particles cm²/year. These paleo-fire peaks coincide with climate warming in the Baraba lowland, marked as an increase in the average July temperature and the predominance of forest-steppe phytocenoses in composition of vegetation cover of the Baraba. Wetter climate conditions and the spread of taiga vegetation from 2100 to 1700 cal. yr BP prevented the occurrence of fires in the territory of the ryam. In addition, during colder climatic periods, fires were either completely absent or of low intensity. When comparing the dynamics of paleo-fires of the Nikolaevsky ryam with paleoclimatic reconstructions, the influence of the climate change on the occurrence and intensity of pyrogenic episodes was revealed.