Climate change overwhelming factor in fuelling Australian bush fires
Fighting bushfires from the sea
Last summer’s horrific bushfire season was a shock to the nation. Lasting longer, and burning bigger areas, exactly like what happened in California over their Spring and Summer period. The fire season was a wake-up call to the Federal and…
How much to burn?
Australia has a long and continuing history of burning in its forests to reduce fuels and maintain biodiversity. However, the debate over how much should be burnt has been ongoing for almost as long as the practice has been conducted,…
Research shows that smoke from Australia’s bushfires killed far more people than the fires did
Members of a collaborative consortium, The Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Research (CAR), funded by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council found. Smoke pollution that blanketed Australia’s south-east for many months during the bushfire crisis may have…
Fires in Australia have jumped the million hectare mark and it is not even summer yet
Thousands of firefighters are battling major fires in New South Wales and Queensland, but the worst is yet to come. Tuesday will see catastrophic fire conditions across the eastern states. It is rare that a catastrophic warning is sounded by…
There is a bit of complacency in all of us
The next time we have a summer scorcher, picture yourself in the great Australian bush, and ask yourself: what have you learnt since Black Saturday? February 7 2019 was the tenth anniversary of the devastating bushfires that struck Victoria, killing…
Learning lessons from research insights: Black Saturday
The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires made history as one of Australia’s deadliest and costliest peacetime tragedies. A new industry guideline helps us learn from this tragic event. Human endurance and the capabilities of emergency service providers were tested by the…
Economic impact of bushfires in NSW, ACT to double by 2050
The Climate Council, one of Australia’s leading authorities on climate change has said the cost of bushfires to New South Wales and the ACT is likely to more than double by 2050, adding an extra $100m per year to the…
More hot weather predicted for Australia
Bureau of Meteorology’s summer outlook says 80% chance of December being hotter than normal in QLD, NSW, SA and Victoria. This will stretch volunteer resources that have already fought many bushfires already this season. Dozens of bushfires are currently still burning…
Where to Next with Fire Modelling?
Excessive amounts of heat and moisture generated by large bushfires can affect the surrounding atmosphere, changing wind speed and creating pyroconvective (thunderstorm) clouds. These in turn can profoundly change the way a bushfire behaves. Researchers are starting to incorporate these…
Creating an Above Ground Fire Shelter
Following the disastrous bushfires of 7 February 2009 I was shocked at the significant loss of life. 173 persons lost their lives. The impact of the fires extended far beyond the immediate loss of life to include those who survived…