Cave Archives for VEgetation, Fire, and LAndscape Magnetic Evolution

Objective

CAVEFLAME will reconstruct Holocene fire-climate dynamics using speleothems as innovative multiproxy archives. Fire strongly shapes ecosystems and climate, yet most long-term reconstructions rely on lakes or peat, limiting resolution. Speleothems, precisely dated and widespread, can preserve organic biomarkers (e.g. PAHs, n-alkanes, GDGTs) and magnetic minerals, offering a unique archive of fire history. At University of São Paulo, Brazil (partner organisation), the researcher will transfer expertise in organic biomarker analysis, adding fire and vegetation proxies (PAHs, n-alkanes) to ongoing isotope and geochemical work on Brazilian speleothems led by Prof. Stríkis. This exchange will unlock the potential of Brazil’s exceptional collection of tropical speleothems. Complementary training in paleomagnetism will be carried out at the Observatório Nacional (Rio de Janeiro), while a secondment at the Max Planck Institute (Germany) will focus on GDGT paleothermometry. Collaboration with Northumbria University (UK) will extend the multiproxy approach to Siberian permafrost speleothems, enabling tropical-boreal comparisons. In the reintegration phase, Ca’ Foscari (beneficiary) and CNR will embed these combined methods in Italy and apply them to Mediterranean archives, ensuring long-term capacity building. The project pursues four objectives: (1) generate high-resolution fire histories from tropical speleothems with GDGT-based paleotemperatures; (2) test magnetism as a rapid, non-destructive fire proxy; (3) apply the approach to Siberian archives; (4) consolidate and transfer methods to Italy. CAVEFLAME will deliver the first south American focused speleothem fire record, advance proxy development, and provide cross-climatic syntheses. By combining organic and mineral signals in cave archives, it will expand paleofire research, produce high-impact publications and open datasets, and inform climate adaptation and fire management strategies in vulnerable regions.