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Study: Charcoal From Wildfires Enters River Systems

Large amounts of charcoal from wildfires enter the world's river systems and eventually reach the ocean, according to a new study.

By Denise Chow
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Scored pine tress outside of Bastrop where a wildfire came through on September 6, 2011.
Credit: Bob Daemmrich

Large amounts of charcoal from wildfires enter the world's river systems and eventually reach the ocean, adding to the fires' carbon impact, according to a new study by Florida International University's Southeast Environmental Research Center in Miami. Researchers said the study defied the common belief that charcoal seeps into soil and stays there. According to the research, about 25 million tons of dissolved charcoal reach the oceans every year.

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