Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2025
Abstract
Wildfires significantly alter watershed functions, particularly the mobilization of organic carbon (OC). This study investigated OC mobility and the physicochemical characteristics of wildfire-impacted soils and ashes from the northern California and Nevada fires (Dixie, Beckworth, Caldor). Organic carbon in wildfire-derived ashes (9.2–57.3 mg/g) generally exceeded levels in the background soils (4.3–24.4 mg/g), except at the Dixie fire sites. The mobile OC fraction varied from 0.0093 to 0.029 in ashes and 0.010 to 0.065 in soils, though no consistent trend was observed between the ashes and soils. Notably, the ash samples displayed lower OC mobility compared with the soils beneath them. A negative correlation was found between the mobile OC fraction and bulk OC content. Wildfire increased the total amount of mobile OC substantially by 5.2–574% compared to the background soils. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra confirmed the presence of environmentally persistent free radicals (EPFRs), which correlated with observed redox reactivity. Additionally, X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) imaging revealed that Fe(II) oxidation in soils beneath the ashes may have enhanced the OC mobility, likely driven by pyrogenic carbon and free radicals. These findings enhance our understanding of post-wildfire OC mobilization and the impact of ash–soil physicochemical properties on watershed health.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Soil Systems
Recommended Citation
Numan, T., Lokesh, S., Shahriar, A., Timilsina, A., Lard, M., Clark, J., Raeofy, Y., Zhao, Q., Poulson, S., Verburg, P., Richardson, J., Cook, R., Samburova, V., & Yang, Y. (2025). Post-Wildfire Mobilization of Organic Carbon. Soil Systems, 9 (1) https://doi.org/10.3390/soilsystems9010011