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Toward a standardized procedure for charcoal analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2020

Margarita Tsakiridou Open the ORCID record for Margarita Tsakiridou [Opens in a new window] ,
Laura Cunningham  and
Mark Hardiman
Margarita Tsakiridou*
Affiliation:
School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 3HE, Hampshire, UK
Laura Cunningham
Affiliation:
School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 3HE, Hampshire, UK
Mark Hardiman
Affiliation:
School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 3HE, Hampshire, UK
*
*Corresponding author at: School of the Environment, Geography and Geosciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK. E-mail address: margarita.tsakiridou@myport.ac.uk (M. Tsakiridou)
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Abstract

Sedimentary charcoal records are used for understanding fire as an earth system process; however, no standardized laboratory methodology exists. Varying sample volumes and chemical treatments (i.e., type of chemical for length of time) are used for the deflocculation and extraction of charcoal from sediment samples. Here, we present the first systematic assessment of the effect of commonly used chemicals on charcoal area and number of fragments. In modern charcoal the area of fragments was significantly different depending on the chemical treatment. We subsequently applied H2O2 (33%), NaClO (12.5%), and HNO3 (50%) to a late-glacial–early Holocene paleorecord and tested different sample volumes. The effects of the treatments were consistent between modern and fossil experiments, which demonstrates the validity of applying results from the modern experiment to the fossil records. Based on our experiments we suggest (1) H2O2 33%, especially for highly organic sediments; (2) avoidance of high concentrations of NaClO for prolonged periods of time, and of HNO3; and (3) samples of 1 cm3 provided typically consistent profiles. Our results indicate that charcoal properties can be influenced by treatment type and sample volume, thus emphasizing the need for a common protocol to enable reliable multi-study comparisons or composite fire histories.

Keywords

FireCharcoalFire History ReconstructionsPeatChemical treatmentsMethodology

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Type
Research Article
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Quaternary Research , Volume 99 , January 2021 , pp. 329 - 340
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Copyright © University of Washington. Published by Cambridge University Press, 2020

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