Lesson 25-What were the impacts of and responses to the Sadleworth Moor Wildfire 2018? Flashcards
1
Q
In the UK what fires do we experience?
A
- Lowland heath fires-often in heathland
- Upland moor fires-Saddleworth Moor
- Grasslamnd fires-surface fires
- Arable crop fires-surface fires
2
Q
What are moorland fires and their impact?
A
- The toxicity of burning peat is thought to be more toxic than other forest fires as it produces denser smoke at grand levels putting localmpopulations more at risk
-Heather and Gorse have lots of oils in them that burn veryt hot and radiate this heat in the peat below
peet is 50% carbon so very toxic
3
Q
What happened in this fire?
A
- 3.7 miles worth of land burned
- warms dry winds dryed out the lands
- Wind direction kept on changing so there were multiple fire roots
- 50 homes evacuated
- june/july 2018 fires burned for roughly 3 weeksand needed more than 100 firefighters
- peaked 27th june with flames reaching 12ft in height
4
Q
Why was the fire an issue and what made it worse?
A
- Was near a densley populated area of north england
- Satellite images showed smoke drift towards Sheffield and Leeds on the 25th of june but it was redirected by the wind and went to Liverpool and Manchester between the 26th-27th of june.
5
Q
Causes of the fire
A
- Rapidly changing wind direction and windspeed
-several fire roots - Dry peete-continued fire underground
-so could reocur
-acctually treated as arson
lack of controlled burning on top of unusually warm weather
6
Q
Why is the moorland management a dilema and what is the problem with peet?
A
- The peat under the burning heather is one of the most valuble resources
- Peats ability to trap carbin is regarded by many as beneficial to the winder environment
-RSPB said this was a primary reason they did not carry out controlled burning
7
Q
Social impacts of fire
A
- Millions exposed to heavily polluted air in Huddersfield and Manchester
- 150 forced to leave their homes
- 4 schools had closed
- GP told BBC many have had respiratory problems including nosebleeds, coughs and eye problems
8
Q
Economic impacts
A
- £21.1 million cost total
9
Q
Envrionmental impacts
A
- Harmful PM2.5 particle concentrations were increased by more than 300% the Oldham Area during the first week of the fire
- Huge effect on the ecosystems as it takes such a long time fo the vegetation to grow back
- Mountain hares impacted on top of them being an already rare species
10
Q
Long term impacts on the environment?
A
- Increasing chances of flash floods
- more likely to cause erosion of river beds and soil becomes more easily dislodged
-large releases of carbon from the biosphere into the atmosphere
-peat takes thousands of years to form so cant be replaced easily
11
Q
Regional responses of fire
A
- The GMFRS said it has monitored all of the areas on the moorlands around Saddleworth to ensure fires are fully out
- Firefighter across the north including West Yporkshire, were involved in battling the devastating blaze during the lengthy heatwave of June and July 2018
12
Q
Local responses
A
- Local fish and chip shop offering free meals to while pupils have delivere dcards, gifts and food as they are off school
- 4 schools in Tameside area have been closed, the council said
- Face masks distributed from council
13
Q
National responses
A
- 100 soldiers from the 4th Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland and an RAF Chinhookhelicpoter joined firefighter response
-65,000 gallons of water dropped by helicoprter in one day - Public Health England advsied people to wash their faces with soap and water
14
Q
How is climate change impacting UK wildfires?
A
- Unconsolidated vegetation fires are becoming more common
- There are 79 fires larger than 25 hectares in 2018 rising to over 130 in 2019.
-could see a rise in a wildfire problem in the UK as winters are getting wetter and summers are getting more mild. These factors boost plant growth which becomes flammable in the summer
