Fire in the earth system: Bridging data and modeling research

Modeling and databased methods to study fire have rapidly coevolved over the past decade. Currently, however, very few initiatives link these important data types. The goal during the recent paleofire-themed workshop was to outline methods to link paleofire datasets with fire modeling to increase our understanding of variability in the global fire regime. The workshop facilitated advances in efforts to calibrate relative trends of biomass burning determined from charcoal accumulated in sediments to physical fire metrics, such as burned area or fuel consumption. Our discussions advanced linking data and modeling to study interactions between climate, ecology, humans, and fire, with a focus on the effect of humans on biomass burning at regional to global scales. This workshop highlighted how interdisciplinary discussions among scientists can initiate advances that disciplinary research in fire science cannot accomplish.