Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Bedegal Country, NSW, 2052, Australia.
Centre for Marine Science and Innovation, Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Bedegal Country, NSW, 2052, Australia.
Environ Pollut. 2022 Sep 1;308:119571. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2022.119571. Epub 2022 Jun 2.
Estuaries are one of the most valuable biomes on earth. Although humans are highly dependent on these ecosystems, anthropogenic activities have impacted estuaries worldwide, altering their ecological functions and ability to provide a variety of important ecosystem services. Many anthropogenic stressors combine to affect the soft sedimentary habitats that dominate estuarine ecosystems. Now, due to climate change, estuaries and other marine areas might be increasingly exposed to the emerging threat of megafires. Here, by sampling estuaries before and after a megafire, we describe impacts of wildfires on estuarine benthic habitats and justify why megafires are a new and concerning threat to coastal ecosystems. We (1) show that wildfires change the fundamental characteristics of estuarine benthic habitat, (2) identify the factors (burnt intensity and proximity to water's edge) that influence the consequences of fires on estuaries, and (3) identify relevant indicators of wildfire impact: metals, nutrients, and pyrogenic carbon. We then discuss how fires can impact estuaries globally, regardless of local variability and differences in catchment. In the first empirical assessment of the impact of wildfires on estuarine condition, our results highlight indicators that may assist waterway managers to empirically detect wildfire impacts in estuaries and identify catchment factors that should be included in fire risk assessments for estuaries. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering fire threats in current and future estuarine and coastal management.
河口是地球上最有价值的生态系统之一。尽管人类高度依赖这些生态系统，但人为活动已经影响了世界各地的河口，改变了它们的生态功能和提供各种重要生态系统服务的能力。许多人为压力因素共同影响主导河口生态系统的软沉积物生境。现在，由于气候变化，河口和其他海洋区域可能越来越容易受到新兴的特大火灾威胁。在这里，我们通过在特大火灾前后对河口进行采样，描述了野火对河口底栖生境的影响，并说明为什么特大火灾是对沿海生态系统的一个新的和令人担忧的威胁。我们 (1) 表明野火改变了河口底栖生境的基本特征，(2) 确定了影响火灾对河口影响的因素（燃烧强度和靠近水边的距离），以及 (3) 确定了野火影响的相关指标：金属、营养物和热解碳。然后，我们讨论了火灾如何在全球范围内影响河口，而不论集水区的局部变化和差异如何。在对野火对河口状况影响的首次实证评估中，我们的研究结果强调了可能有助于水道管理者在河口实证检测野火影响并确定应纳入河口火灾风险评估的集水区因素的指标。总的来说，这项研究强调了在当前和未来的河口和沿海管理中考虑火灾威胁的重要性。
