Hazards KO Box E

Question 1

Wildfire

Answer 1

Uncontrolled fires that destroy forests, grasslands and other areas of vegetation

Question 2

Ignition source

Answer 2

A process or event which can cause a fire e.g. lighting

Question 3

Retardants

Answer 3

Chemicals sprayed on fire to slow them down.
They are composed of nitrates, ammonia, phosphates, sulphates and thickening agents.

Question 4

Pyrophytic vegetation

Answer 4

Plants that are adapted to tolerate fire, for example by having thick bark or tissue with high moisture content

Question 5

Managing the vegetation

Answer 5

Removing vegetation through controlled burning to reduce the fuel source available to a wildfire or creating fire breaks in advance of the fire

Question 6

Managing the built environment

Answer 6

Increasing the gap between houses and vegetation and by including more fire resistant methods in construction

Question 7

Modelling

Answer 7

Involves studying the way in which fires behave using computer simulations to predict fire behaviour.

Question 8

Fire Danger Index

Answer 8

A forecasting system used in Australia to predict the likelihood of wildfires and advise people in the most vulnerable locations.
This is calculated using a combination of temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and dryness of the vegetation

Question 9

Ladder effect

Answer 9

The process where fires spread from the forest floor to the canopy

Question 10

El Nino

Answer 10

A cyclical climatic condition which involves the warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean off the coast of South America which then affects global patterns of temperature and rainfall

Question 11

Indian Ocean Dipole

Answer 11

A cyclical ocean and atmosphere phenomenon that affects the climate of countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.