<
https://theconversation.com/more-dry-lightning-in-tasmania-is-sparking-bushfires-challenging-fire-fighters-and-land-managers-250063>
"Tasmania has been burning for more than two weeks, with no end in sight.
Almost 100,000 hectares of bushland in the northwest has burned to date. This
includes the Tarkine rainforest and alpine ecosystems of Cradle Mountain that
may never recover.
The situation has taken emergency services and land management agencies by
surprise. The seasonal bushfire outlook for summer 2024 suggested Tasmania’s
fire risk was nothing out of the ordinary. The state was also well prepared for
bushfire fighting, particularly with specialised aircraft.
But this fire season has turned out to be anything but typical. Firefighting
capacity has been stretched to the limit and interstate crews have been called
in.
It all began with a massive lightning storm in the evening of Monday February
3. The incidence of such lightning fires has been increasing in Tasmania since
the 1990s.
An official inquiry into the bushfires will no doubt be held, given the
substantial social, economic and environmental harm – as well as the sizeable
costs associated with fighting the fires from the air in remote and rugged
landscapes.
Nonetheless, important lessons are emerging from these fires, which speak to
the broader, worsening threat as the climate changes."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
