Sediment Cascade Database: Post wildfire effects on Mediterranean and contrasting ecosystems

This review examines the effects of wildfire in Mediterranean and contrasting ecosystems through the concept of sediment cascade (i.e. the dynamic transfer of sediments across different landscape compartments, linking sources, transport channels and sedimentation areas in an interconnected ecosystem). The main objective of the current review was to synthesize current knowledge while identifying critical gaps in our understanding of the interactions between these factors (wildfire, erosion, and contaminants).

The database compile all the Journal articles related to post-wildfire erosion under Mediterranean climates, to sediment sources, biodiversity (i.e. with a focus on environmental DNA), and contaminants were retrieved from the Thomson Reuters Web of Science database as of 9 September 2025. 

The search used specific keyword combinations for each topic. For soil erosion, "erosion," "wildfire," "soil," "sediment," and "Mediterranean" yielded 99 articles. For sediment sources, "sediment," "wildfire," and "tracers" identified 20 articles. Biodiversity searches using " environmental", "DNA", "wildfire", and "ecosystems" resulted in 23 articles. Finally, three keyword combinations on firefighting impacts (e.g., "fire-retardant" and "fire-suppressant" with "wildfire" and "ecosystems") identified 19 articles.