Dr Carmen Sánchez-García (Swansea University) is a postdoctoral researcher focussed on understanding and assessing the effects of fire on soils and water quality using a combination of laboratory, fieldwork, and modelling approaches.

During wildfires, the combustion of biomass results in the formation of an ash layer, which is highly mobile by wind and water. Fire concentrates in the ash the compounds that are not volatilised, therefore ash is often enriched in nutrients and contaminants compared to the underlying soil. The transport of ash into water bodies during post-fire runoff can compromise water quality, with major environmental and socioeconomic effects. Mitigating these impacts depends on our ability to anticipate and assess ash and contaminant transport to water bodies.

In this talk, Carmen will discuss chemical characteristics of wildfire ash from a range of ecosystems and burn severity conditions globally, including the UK, and the main factors controlling these. The second part of the talk will discuss the prediction and assessment of ash transport to water bodies using online tools.

15:00-16:00 (GMT - London), 16:00-17:00 (CET - Amsterdam), 10:00-11:00 (EDT – Toronto)