Pyrogenic carbon erosion after the Rim Fire, Yosemite National Park: The Role of Burn Severity and Slope

A study on the Rim Fire in Yosemite National Park reveals that burn severity is the primary factor controlling pyrogenic carbon (PyC) erosion post-fire, with slope angle playing a secondary role. PyC, which has longer soil residence times than nonpyrogenic carbon, was preferentially eroded from high-severity burn areas, while moderate-severity sites transported more fresh organic matter less affected by fire. Researchers used sediment fences to measure transport rates of total and fractionated sediments, along with stable isotope compositions (δ13C and δ15N) and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance spectra, following major precipitation events post-fire. This finding underscores the significant impact of burn severity on PyC persistence in soil systems, with implications for long-term carbon dynamics in fire-affected landscapes.

Abney, R. B., Kuhn, T. J., Chow, A., Hockaday, W., Fogel, M. L., & Berhe, A. A. (2019). Pyrogenic carbon erosion after the Rim Fire, Yosemite National Park: The Role of Burn Severity and Slope. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences, 124(2), 432–449. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018jg004787