Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: . Recent global fire activity has highlighted the importance of understanding fire dynamics across time and space, with records of past fire (palaeofire) providing valuable insights to inform current and future management challenges. New records from the recent increase in palaeofire studies from Australia and surrounds have not been captured in any database for broader comparisons, and Australasia is poorly represented in current international databases used for global modelling of palaeofire trends. These problems are addressed by SahulCHAR, a new collection of sedimentary charcoal and black carbon records from Sahul (Australia, New Guinea, and offshore islands) and New Zealand. Data are stored in the OCTOPUS relational database platform, with a structure designed for compatibility with the existing Global Paleofire Database. Metadata are captured at site-level and observation-level, with observations including age determinations and charcoal or black carbon data. SahulCHAR Version 1 contains 687 records of charcoal or black carbon, including digitized data, unchanged and modified records from the Global Paleofire Database, and original author-submitted data. SahulCHAR is a much-needed update on past regional palaeofire compilations that will also provide greater representation of records from Sahul and New Zealand in future global syntheses.
Source: Earth system science data
Authors: Emma Rehn, Haidee Cadd, Scott Mooney, Tim J. Cohen, Henry Munack, Alexandru T. Codilean, Matthew Adeleye, Kristen K. Beck, Mark Constantine IV, Chris Gouramanis, Johanna M. Hanson, Penelope J. Jones, A. Peter Kershaw, Lydia Mackenzie, Maame Maisie, Michela Mariani, Kia Matley, David McWethy, Keely Mills, Patrick Moss, Nicholas R. Patton, Cassandra Rowe, Janelle Stevenson, John Tibby, Janet Wilmshurst
Institutions: James Cook University, University of Wollongong, UNSW Sydney, University of Cambridge, University of Lincoln, Australian National University, University of Canterbury, University of Tasmania, Menzies Institute for Medical Research, Monash University, University of Nottingham, The University of Melbourne, Montana State University, British Geological Survey, Queensland University of Technology, Idaho State University, The University of Adelaide, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research
Language: English
Topic: Fire effects on ecosystems
Subfield: Global and Planetary Change
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,509
Funder: Australian Research Council
OpenAlex ID: W4411352319