Australian bushfires
Uploaded by *GeMsToNe* on Mar 05, 2007
Which areas of Australia are prone to bush fires and why?
The Australian climate is mostly hot, dry and prone to bushfires. In the southeast, occasional strong winds with summertime cold fronts can lead to extreme fire danger. Many of Australia's native plants burn easily. The eucalypts' high oil content makes them particularly fire prone. The big areas of dry grass common in mid-to-late summer also burn readily.
Most loss of life and property damage occurs around the edges of the cities where homes are sometimes surrounded by flammable vegetation.
Varied fire seasons reflect different weather patterns. 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. Northern Australia experiences most of its fires in winter and spring.
Describe the geographical processes, which are associated with bushfires.
The geographical processes associated with bushfires in Australia. The economic, social and environmental impact of bushfires in Australia. Responsibility and responses of individuals, groups and government
How do bushfires occur?
For a bushfire to start there needs to be fuel, in the form of leaves and/or wood and a ignition flame point. This ignition can be caused either naturally by a lightening strike, spontaneous combustion or a deliberate/accidental flame. Australian Bushfires are particularly severe as eucalyptus tree leaves contain large amounts of oil that act much like any oil and burn very fast and hot.
What effect can Bushfires have on the environment
Plants typically their leaves and bark burn but many plants are adapted to regrow. Though it sometimes depends on how hot the fire is.
Animals have a much harder time. The only animals able to properly survive are wombats that dig under the ground. Many animals die from smoke or are burnt.
When a bushfire is approaching or even smoke, any animals such as kangaroos, emus, or goannas would tend to go in the opposite direction. These animals are most likely to escape. Not all the animals will escape all the time. Sometimes the bushfire might be moving too fast or from several directions. Birds can easily escape bushfires by flying
How do bush fires progress?
There are several major factors that affect the progress of a bushfire
high winds (provide more oxygen)
· amount of fuel( eg leaves)
· low humidity
· high air temperature
All these contribute to the way a bushfire progresses. These factors then combine with the terrain.
The kind of...