Bushfires may have driven a critical ecosystem transition

Published on the 19th April 2018 by ANSTO Staff

"Given the recent bushfire in proximity to ANSTO, although on a different scale, it serves as a reminder of the environmental impact of such events and the importance of understanding their significance in recapturing climate records," said Heijnis.

“We observe that a shift to drier conditions, known as El-Nino periods are usually associated with fire events. The effects of sudden shifts in the climate system are less well understood and this paper tries to address that gap” said Heijnis.

This study showed that a disturbance on land, such as a wildfire, can drive a critical transition in a lake within that ecosystem.

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