fires in nature Flashcards
3 types of wildfires
-ground fire: the ground burns
slow, smouldering fire with no flame and little smoke
-surface fire: leaf litter and low lying vegetation burn
intensity can be low or high
-crown fire: fire moves rapidly through the canopy
intense and fast moving
2 factors increasing the likelihood of wildfires
- fuel:
- vegetation
- thick undergrowth
- close trees
- pine trees - dense, low branches
- peaty dry soil
- eucalyptus trees - filled aromatic oil - combustible
- large amount of fine, dry material
- climate and recent weather:
- area with distinct dry season
- warm dry area - rainfall was 14% less than average January 2020 Australia
- strong winds provide more oxygen - Sundowner winds in California funnel winds through mountains
- high temperatures: 2020 January 42 degrees
causes of wildfires
-natural: 10% - 15%
lightning
volcanic eruptions
-human - 90% in California in 2019
accidental
-cigarettes, camping, children, back-burning, agriculture
arson
short term responses to wildfires
- trying to put out fires
- diverting fires from settlements
- evacuations
- spraying roofs with water
wildfire case study
location
date
- south east, Australia
- June 2019-May 2020
4 conditions that caused the Australian wild fires and increased vulnerability
- 2019 Australia’s hottest and driest year on record
- rainfall was 40% below average
- temperature 1.5 degrees Celsius above average
- severity increased by climate changed
- eucalyptus trees cover 3/4 of Australian forest
4 social impacts of Australian wildfires
- 34 direct deaths
- 445 indirect smoke inhalation deaths
- 9 firefighters died
- 3000 buildings destroyed
- smoke inhalation caused premature deaths
5 environmental impacts of Australia wildfires
- 1billion animals died
- 1/3 of the koala population perished
- burning area was slightly larger than the size of england
- 18 million hectares destroyed
- smoke travelled across pacific
2 economic impacts of the Australian wildfires
- 60+ businesses destroyed
- estimated cost of more than -$4 billion AUS
long term response and risk management: prevention
- due to current climate natural wildfires cannot be avoided
- human caused wildfires can be prevented via awareness
- controlled burning and fire beaters can prevent large fires from starting
long term response and risk management: preparedness
- public awareness about why wildfires start
e. g. Smokey Bear Campaign - evacuations plans and training
- satellite image tracking to manage the areas at risk
- red flag warning so people know areas that will possibly be at risk
long term response and risk management: mitigation
- search and rescue, immediate emergency aid, evacuation
- removing flammable material such as a dead leaves
- spraying water and fire retardant onto areas at risk
- building materials that will not release toxic chemicals into the atmosphere
long term response and risk management: adaption
- move away from areas at risk
- fire breaks to stop fire spreading
- reducing carbon footprint to lower CO2 emissions to lower frequency
- insurance to cover damages
define wildfire
- an uncontrollable fire
- often occur in rural areas
how are wild fires predicted
- wildfires may be seasonal
- likelihood can be predicted
