ASSESSING THE POTENTIAL FOR ANTHROPOGENIC INFLUENCES ON FIRE-CLIMATE ANOMALIES IN PALEOECOLOGICAL RECORDS FROM THE EASTERN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE PENINSULA, USA USING SIMULATED CHARCOAL RECORDS

The Charcoal Record Simulation Model (Snitker 2018) is applied to 10000-3000 yr BP multi-proxy paleoecological records from the eastern tallgrass Prairie Peninsula to evaluate if fire-climate anomalies may be due to anthropogenic drivers. Nelson et al. (2006) identified multiple fire-climate anomalies in their records from Nelson Lake and Chatsworth Bog in Northern and Central Illinois. An increase in fire activity preceding the establishment of fire-dependent tallgrass prairie ecosystems at approximately ~6200 yr BP., and the persistence of fire and grassland ecosystems through periods of increased moisture between ~5800-5400 yr BP were interpreted from charcoal data. Both anomalies are out-of-phase with climatic drivers of ecosystem change through the Holocene. The potential for there to be an anthropogenic Native American influence on these fire regimes was acknowledged by the original researchers; however, the significance of a robust Holocene-spanning archaeological record found in direct association with the paleoecological localities was not appreciated. Because this simulation accommodates both environmental and cultural datasets, this study has the potential to evaluate the anthropogenic burning hypothesis for these fire-climate anomalies. The results will inform the design of future sedimentary paleoecological and archaeological investigations in this region.