[meteorite-list] Papers Dispute the Existence of Wildfires with Start of Younger Dryas

[Paul]

Two papers, both of which dispute the occurrence of wildfires 
associated with a hypothetical impact event at the start of the 
Younger Dryas, have been recently published. They are:

1. Marlon, J. R., P. J. Bartlein, M. K. Walsh, S. P. Harrison, K. J. 
Brown, M. E. Edwards, P. E. Higuera, M. J. Power, R. S. 
Anderson, C. Briles, A. Brunelle, C. Carcaillet, M. Daniels, 
F. S. Hu, M. Lavoie, C. Long, T. Minckley, P. J. H. Richard, 
A. C. Scott, D. S. Shafer, W. Tinner, C. E. Umbanhowar, Jr., 
and C. Whitlock, 2009, Wildfire responses to abrupt climate 
change in North America. Proceedings for the National 
Academy of Science. Published online before print 
February 3, 2009, doi: 10.1073/pnas.0808212106

Abstract at:

http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/02/03/0808212106.abstract

and 2. van der Hammen, T. and B. van Geel, 2008, Charcoal 
in soils of the Allerød-Younger Dryas transition were the 
result of natural fires and not necessarily the effect of an extra-
terrestrial impact. Netherlands Journal of Geosciences (Geologie 
en Mijnbouw) vol. 87, no. 4, pp. 359-361.

PDF file at:

http://www.imep-cnrs.com/docu/charcoal.pdf
http://www.njgonline.nl/publish/articles/000404/english.html

A paper about the role of climatic change unrelated to 
extraterrestrial impacts in wildfire synchrony is:

Kitzberger, T., P. M. Brown, E. K. Heyerdahl, T. W. Swetnam,
 and T. T. Veblen, 2007, Contingent Pacific–Atlantic Ocean 
influence on multicentury wildfire synchrony over western 
North America. Proceedings of the National Academy of 
Sciences of the United States of America. vol. 104 , no. 2.
pp. 543-548.

Abstract at:

http://www.pnas.org/content/104/2/543.abstract

Yours,

Paul H.