Australia 2019-20 Wildfire Flashcards
Location
. Every state and territory experienced fires in Australia
. They began in June 2019 and ended in May 2020
. Biggest fires burnt along the eastern and southern coast, where most of the population lives.
. Included areas around Sydney and Adelaide.
. New South Wales most severely hit, with more than 1.65m hectares razed
. Multiple states of emergency were declared across New South Wales, Victoria, and the Australian Capital Territory
. Last fire of the season occurred in Lake Clifton, Western Australia, in early May
Causes
. Suffered from extreme drought which began in 2017
. Climate change made fires 30% more likely
. Changes in the prevailing wind, The Southern Annular Mode
. Indian Ocean Dipole
. 91,000 lightening strikes Darwin 25/12/19
. Discarded cigarette caused Binna Burra fire in the Gold Coast hinterland in September 2019
. 21,000 of hectares burnt due to deliberately lit fires
The Southern Annular Mode
. Influences rainfall and temperature affecting where the Westerlies blow
. Strong winds normally blow further south of Australia and sit beneath an area of high pressure, subtropical ridge
. In 2019/20 the belt of westerlies moved further north, allowing stronger westerlies to blow over southern Australia
. This fanned the wildfire flames making firefighting harder to carry out
. Winds of around 80km.
Indian Ocean Dipole
. There are different phases to the IOD every 3 to 5 years
. A positive IOD phase starts in winter with weak Westerly and even Easterly winds form
. This allows cool water to rise up adjacent to NW Australia
. Cooler water and descending air in the eastern Indian Ocean mean less clouds form and less rainfall for Australia
. 2019/20 saw an extreme IOD in a positive phase which was the strongest for six decades
. This atmospheric change drew moisture away from Australia.
Social effects
. 33 people died and 9 firefighters
. 3,000 houses were lost across NSW, Victoria, Queensland, ACT, Western Australia and South Australia
. 80% of citizens affected in some way by the fires - trauma, sadness and anxiety
. Untreated water causing gastrointestinal diseases like vomiting and diarrhoea
. Over 90% of emissions from wildfires are small enough to enter the respiratory system
. If fires were a nation they would have ranked 6th most polluting in the world
. Smoke reached New Zealand, Pacific Ocean Islands and South America
Environmental effects
. Erosive effects of heavy rain on the fire-ravaged, burnt earth
. Toxic blue-green algae has increased
. 17 million hectares of land burned - can’t grow crops for many years
. More than 80% of the World Heritage listed Greater Blue Mountains Area and has been affected by fire
. 55 parks and reserves have had more than 99% of their area affected by fire
. Fires produce their own weather patterns, firefighters were killed by unexpected tornadoes flipping fire engines
. An estimated 1 billion animals killed in the wildfires with many species facing total extinction
Economic effects
. More than 100,000 cows and sheep may also have been lost
. Hundreds of sacred indigenous sites were damaged
Preparation
. Local authorities provided education and information for residents in bushfire-prone regions
. Warnings allowed for quick and planned evacuation.
. Advice was issued on how to deal with the fire such as don’t go into a room you might get trapped in
. In June 2019 the Queensland Fire and Emergency Service acting director warned of the potential for an early start to the bushfire season which normally starts in August
Short term responses
. Fire fighters used water cannons, ditches and controlled burn practices
. Nearly 16,000 professional firefighters and around 150,000 volunteer firefighters
. US, Canada and New Zealand sent firefighters
. Australia’s police, military and navy helped evacuation
. More than 500 aircraft provided by over 150 operators
. Firefighters sprayed water and fire retardant from planes and helicopters
. Focus on stopping spread, not just putting out
. Digging earth boundaries to stop spread
. Responses to small and ineffective
. Celebrities like Kylie Minogue used public profile to raise funds
. Elton John donated $1 mil
. In New South Wales the Rural Fire Service were told that the £53 million+ of emergency donation money that has been raised for them might not legally be allowed to be distributed
Long term responses
. Victoria set up a new government agency, Bushfire Recovery Victoria to help manage and coordinate the state recovery
. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has promised better funding for firefighting and payouts for volunteer firefighters, and an additional £1billion for the recovery
. Government criticised for not doing enough against climate change
. Prime minister has announced he will continue to expand coal industry further
. He decided to keep the Sydney fireworks and went on holiday during the events
