Final Blog

Australia has a unique range of natural hazards that could pose immediate danger to the country. While tropical cyclones can cause intense rain and wind, which leads to flooding and possible costal erosion. Along with the surrounding tectonic plates to the north along the Indo-Australian Plate. Which has been known to pose the threat of earthquakes and tsunamis. I believe the greatest threat to Australia to be wildfires. Also know as, Bushfires and grassfires  they are common throughout Australia. Grassfires are fast moving, passing in five to ten seconds and smoldering for minutes. They have a low to medium intensity and primarily damage crops, livestock and farming infrastructure, such as fences. Bushfires are generally slower moving but have a higher heat output. This means they pass in two to five minutes, but they can smolder for days. Historically, bushfires have caused loss of life and significant damage to property. While naturally occurring bushfires cannot be averted, their consequences can be minimized by implementing mitigation strategies and reducing the potential impact to areas which are most vulnerable. 

Three basic factors of fires include:

1.    Fuel Load: the amount of fallen bark, leaf litter and small branches accumulating in the landscape. 

2.    Oxygen (Wind): acts to drive a fire by blowing the flames into fresh fuel, bringing it to ignition point and providing a continuous supply of oxygen.

3.    Ignition source: fires can originate from both human activity and natural causes with lightning the predominant natural source, accounting for about half of all ignitions in Australia. 

The Australian climate is generally hot, dry and prone to drought. At any time of the year, some parts of Australia are prone to bushfires. 

For most of southern Australia, the danger period is summer and autumn. For New South Wales and southern Queensland, the peak risk usually occurs in spring and early summer. The Northern Territory experiences most of its fires in winter and spring. 

Grassland fires frequently occur after good periods of rainfall which result in abundant growth that dries out in hot weather. Bushfires tend to occur when light and heavy fuel loads in Eucalypt forests have dried out, usually following periods of low rainfall.

The potential for extreme fire weather varies greatly throughout Australia, both in frequency and severity. When potential extreme fire weather is experienced close to populated areas, significant loss is possible. 

This image shows an up to date display of the hotspots that represent particular regions at risk of a potential fire.

 https://firewatch-pro.landgate.wa.gov.au 

Sources: 

https://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/hazards/bushfire