Australia is on fire
Re: Australia is on fire
Eastern Victoria just looks foul today. And an unknown number of idiots decided that their holiday plans were more important than evacuation advice from the fire experts. So, resources will be tied up protecting idiots.
Bairnsdale is out of direct danger at the moment but anything is possible.
Here, after two spikes up to 40C this afternoon, either side of the thunderstorm, it's now deliciously cool outside and the rain is pelting down. There's a scary little fire north of the city but hopefully they're getting some rain too.
Bairnsdale is out of direct danger at the moment but anything is possible.
Here, after two spikes up to 40C this afternoon, either side of the thunderstorm, it's now deliciously cool outside and the rain is pelting down. There's a scary little fire north of the city but hopefully they're getting some rain too.
Re: Australia is on fire
And as just having bl..dy great fires isn't bad enough, some of those fires are creating their own thunderstorms, spitting embers and lightning tens of kilometres ahead of the fire front.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... nderstorms
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... nderstorms
Re: Australia is on fire
The skies over Mallacoota, in eastern Victoria, have gone a beautiful shade of red. Beautiful from this side of a computer screen, at least. (Picture pinched from the Guardian live blog.)
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Re: Australia is on fire
For reference - just one firenefibach wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 10:04 pmAnd as just having bl..dy great fires isn't bad enough, some of those fires are creating their own thunderstorms, spitting embers and lightning tens of kilometres ahead of the fire front.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... nderstorms
Also for reference, the enclosed area is a bit under 411,000 hectaresthe Guardian wrote:The 411,000 hectare Gospers Mountain fire in the Blue Mountains, still burning out of control on Thursday, is likely the latest bushfire to have generated a pyroCB storm on 22 November.
My avatar was a scientific result that was later found to be 'mistaken' - I rarely claim to be 100% correct
ETA 5/8/20: I've been advised that the result was correct, it was the initial interpretation that needed to be withdrawn
Meta? I'd say so!
ETA 5/8/20: I've been advised that the result was correct, it was the initial interpretation that needed to be withdrawn
Meta? I'd say so!
Re: Australia is on fire
There's been pyrocumulonimbus across south eastern Victoria too, so I think Nefi was right. Mind you, is hard to keep tabs on all of the fires, with so much going on at once.
I live in a country that is used to big fires and I'm struggling to get my brain around the sheer scale and horror of these ones.
I think gfamily showed an image from something similar to the Guardian's tool that that lets you plot various of the fires against capital cities for reference.
Here's what 4.6M ha (the total area burned across NSW, Vic, SA, and QLD) looks like compared to London. (For casual comparison with anywhere you're familiar with, that square has sides ~215km long.)
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n ... p_Messages
I live in a country that is used to big fires and I'm struggling to get my brain around the sheer scale and horror of these ones.
I think gfamily showed an image from something similar to the Guardian's tool that that lets you plot various of the fires against capital cities for reference.
Here's what 4.6M ha (the total area burned across NSW, Vic, SA, and QLD) looks like compared to London. (For casual comparison with anywhere you're familiar with, that square has sides ~215km long.)
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-n ... p_Messages
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- Snowbonk
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Re: Australia is on fire
Dry lightening yesterday afternoon started 120 fires in the state. Fortunately, only 2 of those are still burning, but so are three fires from last week.
Heard today from friends holidaying on the south coast of NSW. They have been evacuated from the town they were staying in and moved to Moruya. They cannot get out of Moruya as every road in every direction is cut by fires. A nearby town, Cobargo, was destroyed by the fires with 2 people killed. The government are going to send the Defence Force in to help with evacuations.
After 42 C yesterday, it is cooler today, but forecast to reach 42 C again on Friday. We are likely to break the number of 40 C and over days in a summer.
Heard today from friends holidaying on the south coast of NSW. They have been evacuated from the town they were staying in and moved to Moruya. They cannot get out of Moruya as every road in every direction is cut by fires. A nearby town, Cobargo, was destroyed by the fires with 2 people killed. The government are going to send the Defence Force in to help with evacuations.
After 42 C yesterday, it is cooler today, but forecast to reach 42 C again on Friday. We are likely to break the number of 40 C and over days in a summer.
Here grows much rhubarb.
Re: Australia is on fire
Eeeek! My mum used to live in Moruya. I don't think any friends or relatives live there now, but I do hope it doesn't get worse for them.
Re: Australia is on fire
My brother's view of a pyro cumulus yesterday. Their place is now covered in smoke and they are packed and ready to run. And it's his birthday tomorrow.nefibach wrote: ↑Mon Dec 30, 2019 10:04 pmAnd as just having bl..dy great fires isn't bad enough, some of those fires are creating their own thunderstorms, spitting embers and lightning tens of kilometres ahead of the fire front.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... nderstorms
Fuckity f.ck.
Re: Australia is on fire
It's really not looking good - hope he's OK
Have you considered stupidity as an explanation
Re: Australia is on fire
Just awful. My fingers are firmly crossed for him and his family.
Re: Australia is on fire
To quote his last email, "One begins to understand why people invented gods. It gives you something to yell at."
Some what terrifying video of what the RFS is going through.
- Bird on a Fire
- Princess POW
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Re: Australia is on fire
Surely his town can't be that bad?!
We have the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment.
Re: Australia is on fire
He hates his neighbours soooo much.
Re: Australia is on fire
Birds mimic all sorts. There's a blackbird in my garden that mimics the reversing sirens from the nearby industrial estate.
Here are a couple of links you guys might like (note the dates, it's evidence from 10 years ago).
The effect of land clearing on rainfall and fresh water resources in Western Australia:
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... y_analysis
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/ ... 816526.htm
Here are a couple of links you guys might like (note the dates, it's evidence from 10 years ago).
The effect of land clearing on rainfall and fresh water resources in Western Australia:
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... y_analysis
and a bit more here.It is generally thought that this decline is due to natural periodic variations and changes induced by global warming, but recently evidence has emerged suggesting that a substantial part of the decline may be due to extensive logging close to the coast to make way for housing developments and the clearing of native vegetation for wheat planting on the higher ground. We compare coastal and inland rainfall to show empirically that 55% to 62% of the observed rainfall decline is the result of land clearing alone.
http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/ ... 816526.htm
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- Snowbonk
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Re: Australia is on fire
Over 10,000 people have been ordered to evacuate today in preparation for severe weather forecast for tomorrow in NSW and Victoria.
8000 sq km of Victoria is on fire and more in NSW. Forecasts in the mid 40s tomorrow for a lot of the fire ground, with strong winds.
8000 sq km of Victoria is on fire and more in NSW. Forecasts in the mid 40s tomorrow for a lot of the fire ground, with strong winds.
Here grows much rhubarb.
- Bird on a Fire
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Re: Australia is on fire
What's the recovery from this going to look like? How long will the habitat take to recover?
Are there plans to try to limit the severity of future fires, or could this become a regular occurrence?
Are there plans to try to limit the severity of future fires, or could this become a regular occurrence?
We have the right to a clean, healthy, sustainable environment.
Re: Australia is on fire
From my understanding, given climate change, it's only going to get drier and hotter in Australia. So yes, until it's all burnt to desert, this is how it's going to look. The dry sclerophyll areas will probably recover a bit, as they are meant to burn, but how strongly they bounce back will depend on how dry the continent becomes. Some of it won't recover. There are areas being burnt that have never burnt as pre-climate change they were permanently damp areas. They are gone.Bird on a Fire wrote: ↑Fri Jan 03, 2020 10:56 amWhat's the recovery from this going to look like? How long will the habitat take to recover?
Are there plans to try to limit the severity of future fires, or could this become a regular occurrence?
Re: Australia is on fire
Why were they damp? Low lying with a source of water? Unless the source has been removed they'll get boggy again pretty quickly. I think the recovery might actually be pretty rapid (10 years or so) - obviously factoring in the creeping influence of climate change.
Re: Australia is on fire
Because it rained alot, being rainforests. Rainfall patterns have changed.plodder wrote: ↑Fri Jan 03, 2020 2:28 pmWhy were they damp? Low lying with a source of water? Unless the source has been removed they'll get boggy again pretty quickly. I think the recovery might actually be pretty rapid (10 years or so) - obviously factoring in the creeping influence of climate change.
Re: Australia is on fire
Yeah I know, check the *actual science* I posted upthread. But if there are aquifers etc these will be impacted in more subtle ways.
Re: Australia is on fire
Which reference Western Australia and logged forests. The Gondwana rainforests what were burnt/are currently burning are neither, they are on the East coast of Australia and are protected areas. For example the Lamington National Park in Queensland, which is in mountains behind the Gold Coast. Land usage definitely makes things more fire prone, and Gippsland (referenced in the second paper) is a f.cking hell on earth right now. But there is a damn sight more going on than simple changes in land user patterns.
Re: Australia is on fire
Do we have any data / estimates on the return period of both the drought and the current temperatures?
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- Fuzzable
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Re: Australia is on fire
My sister is in an evacuation centre in Narooma, the second one she's been too. Brother is staying put in Mollymook. They are all safe and well considering. Sis lost her house.
Obviously, I won't get much sleep tonight.
Obviously, I won't get much sleep tonight.