Geography A-Level - Physical - Wildfires

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  • Created by: Noah_S
  • Created on: 02-06-21 16:50
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  • Wildfires
    • General Theory
      • Formation
        • Conditions
          • Fuel Characteristic
            • Fine, dry material catch fire and burn the most easily
          • Vegetation Type
            • Thick undergrowth / closely spaced trees allow fire to travel easily
            • Some trees have a lot of oil / shed strips of bark which aids the fire
          • Fire Behaviour
            • Fires can throw out burning debris (firebrands) that help the fire spread
          • Climate and Weather
            • The area usually has a dry season, where rainfall is low for a significant time
            • Strong wings provide more spread to burning embers
        • Types
          • Ground Fire - Where the ground itself burns. It's slow, with no flame and little smoke
          • Surface Fire - Where leaf litter and low-lying vegetation burns. Can be low or high intensity
          • Crown fire - Where fire moves rapidly through the canopy. They are intense and fast-moving
      • Impacts
        • Primary
          • People may be killed or injured if they don't evacuate
          • Habitats are destroyed, and soils are damaged due to the fire removing organic matter
          • Destroys buildings and businesses, and the cost of fighting a wildfire is huge
        • Secondary
          • Wildfires can cause health problems, like breathing difficulties due to the smoke produced
          • Wildfires may discourage tourists from visiting, if tourism is built on the environment
          • Smoke causes air pollution, and water sources can be contaminated with ash.
      • Responses
        • Short Term
          • Evacuations and diverting the fire away from settlements will reduce the amount of social damage
          • Attempting to put out the fire and spraying water onto roofs of houses can mitigate the amount of economic and environment damage
        • Long Term
          • Prevention - Using public education to reduce human causes for wildfires, and using thermal cameras to get rid of starting fires help stop wildfires from starting
          • Preparedness - Emergency plans and emergency shelters can help reduce the impacts a wildfire could have
          • Adaption - Individuals can change the way they live to help themselves with wildfires. Using non-flammable building materials and creating fire breaks are examples
    • Case Study - Australia (2009)
      • Impacts
        • 173 killed, with many more suffering from stress and depression (Social)
        • AUS $4 billion worth in damages + 60 businesses destroyed (Economy)
        • 4300 km^2 of land was burned, including many habitats for animals, birds, and rare species (Environment)
      • Pre-Disaster
        • Severe wildfires burned for a month in the state of Victoria
          • Environment conditions added to the intensity of the fire - as they were followed ten years of drought + strong winds
        • Lack of management (e.g. controlled burning of forest litter) meant that there was a large amount of very dry oil-rich fuel
          • Several fires caused by faulty power lines
      • Responses
        • Australian Bureau of Meteorology predicted where the fires would spread, and told residents to evacuate (Short Term)
        • 20,000 firefighters and volunteers helped in combating the fire and aid (Short Term)
        • AUS $400 million donated to help build more resistant houses (Long Term)
        • Improvements to emergency shelter, warning systems and more (Long Term)

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