Canberra Fires of 2003 The Canberra bushfire began on Saturday 18th January 2003, with reports suggesting that it was started by a Lightning Strike, to the north of Canberra. In the few hours the few hours that proceeded, the fires raged out of control. Another fire close to the one started by the lightning, ended up joining it, creating a massive fire front, roaring towards Canberra. No warning could prepare the people of Canberra for what was happening. They did not have much time to fight the
Gloria Villa Barbosa Professor Jennifer Brown ENG 101 April 13th, 2014 Causes of Wildfires Wildfires are catastrophic disasters that destroy everything in their path. “A wildfire (also known as forest fire, grass fire, vegetation fire, etc) is an uncontrolled fire often occurring in wild land areas, but which can also consume houses or agricultural resources.” (Wildfire.) The causes of wildfires are mostly intentional, negligence or accidents and natural causes. Wildfires have three distinct phases:
Wildfire Mitigation Thesis: Politicians are proposing sweeping changes in bills, which have caused great controversy, in efforts to correct the problems that the Forest Service has faced in restoration projects. Are these bills necessary or is there a better solution that politicians are overlooking? Introduction: Humans have been changing the Western forests' fire system since the settlement by the Europeans and now we are experiencing the consequences of those changes. During the summer
How do bushfires start in Australia? There are a many causes of a bushfire some as a result of natural events and others caused by human activities. In Australia alone we have more bushfires than anywhere else in the world. Humans used fire for warmth and preparation of food for as long as we know. At some stage in time humans started using fire’s for more, hunting. By burning fields we could change them into grass lands thus make hunting a lot easier, but doubtless we soon discovered that fire
Obliterating everything in its path, a bushfire is a natural hazard, which can be defined as wild fires in scrublands and or bushlands, especially one that spreads rapidly and is hard to contain. They can be catastrophic, causing severe damage to properties, the environment and even deaths. And as a result there is an ever-increasing need to prepare for the potential impacts of bushfires. Due its size, different parts of Australia are prone to bushfires at certain times as a result of widely varied
Malibu and Yosemite share similar ecosystem, which encourages wildfires and periodic firestorms. In his book Ecology of Fear, Mike Davis argues that Malibu should burn because wildfires are a part of its history. To illustrate his point, he relates numerous historical events from the first settlement of the region to modern days. Despite the high frequency of wildfires in Malibu, humans have continued to settle there in droves. Those settlers have fought the fires, which has done nothing but augment
White-tail deer are very unique animals that live in many different climates and ecosystems. They rely on most of the natural resources in woodland and grassland environments. These different environments can be manipulated greatly by the use of fire. Since deer are very important in the people best interest economically with the sport of hunting generating billions of dollars a year in the U.S., it is up to the people to help maintain the environment in which they live. Performing prescribed burns
Thousands upon thousands of acres are lost in forest fires every year. We always hear about the dramatic losses caused by forest fires and are often concerned by them. There are so many horrible effects from fires and most of them affect so many people. Studies have shown that out of all of the different methods to decrease fire damage, prescribed burns are the most affective. Many people would argue that they are not as affective because they cause so many health problems. Although that is
Black Saturday Bushfires -Kathryn Lawn, Senior Science Assessment TASK 3 A natural disaster is defined as any event or force of nature that has catastrophic consequences. This report investigates the Black Saturday Bushfires that consumed Victoria and its surrounding areas on the 7th of February 2009; examining the extent of its impact on both the community and the land. Black Saturday was made historic by its unprecedented weather conditions; creating an environment that permitted the day’s events
The Natural Disasters in Australia and Their Effects Earthquakes are caused by the shifting of the Indian-Australian plate, which is being pushed north and is colliding with the Eurasian, Philippine and Pacific plates. The stress from this collision is released during earthquakes. Earthquakes can occur anywhere in Australia. Adelaide has the highest earthquake hazard of any capital city, with more earthquakes in the past 50 years than any other. Thunderstorms however are more common on the
This type of burning is done to maintain biodiversity, mitigate the seriousness of bushfires and to help protect lives and property by reducing the build-up of flammable bush. When a fire goes out of control it’s a disaster as corrupt as war. This is why need to prescribe burn to stop this mayhem from happening. Years of research show that controlled burning is very effective, especially when managing bushfires such as the Northcliffe fire which has become a disaster. There are thousands of tons
Across Australia, animals are becoming extinct, seas are warming, and events such as bushfires, storms, and droughts are becoming more dangerous and frequent. People around the world are burning fossil fuels and allowing greenhouse gases to escape into the atmosphere. These gases trap heat, causing the world to become warmer (“Learn”). This is part of a larger problem called climate change. Climate change is affecting people, animals, oceans, and environments all around the world. In Australia, climate
ignited a bushfire. The case came about after the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission found the Kilmore East-Kinglake bushfire was caused by an ageing SP AusNet power line. The class action took place at the start
outrun the fire, but she was not ready to die.' - Everything to Live For by Turia Pitt and Libby Harkness. Turia Pitt is an inspiring Australian, who has motivated many different people from around the world. She is known for surviving a horrific bushfire whilst doing an ultra-marathon and spending over 800 days in a hospital recovering. Her goal is to prove that we can achieve anything, with the right mindset. Turia was born on 24 July 1987, in Fa'a'ā Tahiti, but is now an Australian citizen. Turia
interface areas. To name some examples relevant to this study, the large number of bushfires each year cost the Australian community dearly. Bushfires are the leading cause of death and injuries from natural disasters in Australia: National statistics proves that at least half of these fires are ignited due to arson (Beale & Jones, 2010, p.507). The financial loss of massive wildfires such as the ´Black Saturday` bushfire (caused by an ageing power line, belonging to the Australian company SP AusNet)
artificial grasslands which not only encouraged wildlife into an area, however, transformed the land into a more preferred environment for hunting. The creation of grasslands through burning practices created more frequent, however, less intense bushfires that could be easily avoided by the aboriginal people. When European settlers arrived, the intentional burning became less common, resulting
comparison to a solid lump that contains the same mass for it has a lower surface area than the powdered solid. To control the rate of hydrocarbon combustion ... ... middle of paper ... ...ons have the ability to hurt the economy fatally. Victorian bushfires take a total of $4,369,000,000 out of the government’s money.3 With the expenses of property damage, loss of livestock, death of citizens, forest destruction, recovery, carbon release and infrastructure damage. To control the rates of chemical reactions
Primitive Man's Relationship with Fire and the Environment Common knowledge holds it that primitive man was a being barely more developed than the ape, existing without culture, innovation, or technological prowess. This belief focuses especially on homo erectus, an ancestor of man who lived from about 2 million to roughly 200,000 years ago. It is commonly believed that h. erectus was a creature existing in technological stasis, without the ability to advance his existence through innovation
Eco tourism is a fast growing industry involving the tourist visits to natural areas to help minimize the endangered places and animals in that community. According to (ecotourism.org) Ecotourism is defined as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people." The Eco Certification program is put forth to certify tourist attractions to than help unite the communities, conservations and keep sustainable tourism. Their purpose is also to
natural disasters (Polain, Berry and Hoskin, 2011). Polain et al (2011) explains, in the last decade alone, many countries have endured life threatening natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, tsunamis and closer to home here in Australia wild bushfires. With the amount of anticipated natural disasters only expected to increase, there is an urgent need to support the groups and individuals who are identified as being most vulnerable to natural disasters (Redwood and Abrahams, 2011). Redwood and