Postfire effects of experimental fires on soil-atmosphere exchange of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide of a Mediterranean shrubland

Soil fluxes of CO(2), CH(4) and N(2)O were measured twice a month throughout a period of one year in a Mediterranean shrubland located in the Nature Reserve of Castel Volturno (South of Italy). The gas fluxes were measured by using closed chambers technique from control and burned plots subjected to experimental fires of different intensity. The findings suggest an effect of fire on CO(2), N(2)O and CH, emissions from the soil. Hot spots of gas emission were more numerous in burned soils and gave an higher contribution to the total fluxes of CO(2), N(2)O and CH(4). The highest fluxes and the largest contribution of the hot spots to total emissions were detected during the cold and moist periods. We suggest that burned soils show a major susceptibility to environmental factors, particularly to the soil water content.