RT info:eu-repo/semantics/article T1 Evaluation of Composite Burn Index and Land Surface Temperature for Assessing Soil Burn Severity in Mediterranean Fire-Prone Pine Ecosystems A1 Marcos Porras, Elena María A1 Fernández García, Víctor A1 Fernández Manso, Alfonso A1 Quintano Pastor, Carmen A1 Valbuena Relea, María Luz A1 Tárrega García-Mares, María Reyes A1 Luis Calabuig, Estanislao A1 Calvo Galván, María Leonor A2 Ecologia K1 Ecología. Medio ambiente K1 Controlled heating K1 Land surface temperature (LST) K1 Pine forest K1 Soil burn severity K1 Substrate CBI K1 Visual indicators K1 Wildfire AB We analysed the relationship between burn severity indicators, from remote sensing and field observations, and soil properties after a wildfire in a fire-prone Mediterranean ecosystem. Our study area was a large wildfire in a Pinus pinaster forest. Burn severity from remote sensing was identified by studying immediate post-fire Land Surface Temperature (LST). We also evaluated burn severity in the field applying the Composite Burn Index (CBI) in a total of 84 plots (30 m diameter). In each plot we evaluated litter consumption, ash colour and char depth as visual indicators. We collected soil samples and pH, soil organic carbon, dry aggregate size distribution (MWD), aggregate stability and water repellency were analysed. A controlled heating of soil was also carried out in the laboratory, with soil from the control plots, to compare with the changes produced in soils affected by different severity levels in the field. Our results shown that changes in soil properties affected by wildfire were only observed in soil aggregation in the high severity situation. The laboratory-controlled heating showed that temperatures of about 300 °C result in a significant reduction in soil organic carbon and MWD. Furthermore, soil organic carbon showed a significant decrease when LST values increased. Char depth was the best visual indicator to show changes in soil properties (mainly physical properties) in large fires that occur in Mediterranean pine forests. We conclude that CBI and post-fire LST can be considered good indicators of soil burn severity since both indicate the impact of fire on soil properties. PB MDPI YR 2018 FD 2018-10-31 LK http://hdl.handle.net/10612/8919 UL http://hdl.handle.net/10612/8919 NO Forests, 2018, vol. 9, n. 8 NO P. 494-509 DS BULERIA. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de León RD 28-mar-2024