From NASA:
NASA’s Terra satellite detected dozens of bushfires continued raging in the Australian state of New South Wales, outside of Sydney. Sydney is the state capital and the most populated city in Australia.
According to CNN, emergency managers in New South Wales declared a state of emergency. On Oct. 22, CNN reported that New South Wales was battling 62 fires on Oct. 22. More than 116,167 hectares (~287,000 acres) have already burned.
NASA’s Terra satellite passed over New South Wales, located in southeastern Australia on Oct. 27 at 00:10 UTC/Oct. 26 at 8:10 a.m. EDT. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard Terra satellite has infrared capabilities that can detect heat from the various wildfires. In the MODIS image the fire or hot spot appears red and smoke appears in light brown. The MODIS image showed that many fires and a large area of smoke from the combined fires were occurring in the Wollemi National Park, located northwest of Sydney. The MODIS image was generated at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.
Full size image here
Image: Jeff Schmaltz, NASA Goddard MODIS Rapid Response Team; Caption: Rob Gutro, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
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I remember the bush fires around Sydney in 2006 (or thereabouts). We didn’t call it global warming then. Just bush fires.
Jennifer Marohasy has a post from Roger Underwood explaining the policy background.
http://jennifermarohasy.com/2013/10/bushfire-management-in-australian-forests-a-note-from-roger-underwood-2/
Oddly enough, greens in Oz seemingly oppose controlled burns, as oppose to those in the US, who by contrast seem to be arsonists.
Some Australian vegetation is dependent on fire for its life cycle while others had adapted to fire before man came along. The Aborigines used to deliberately light fires to hunt. They fought fire with fire. You could says that more fires is a natural return to the state of things.
The problem is that arriving Europeans had a strong affinity with property and an aversion to fires. Could this be the seed of the problem -fuel build up which was vigorously managed by the ‘original’ inhabitants of Australia. What are the chances of a serious fire next year in the areas already burnt? This is their chance, start burning and managing more, not less.
More news on the New South Wales fires – another early start to the fire season.
High Treason says:
October 29, 2013 at 4:53 am
“Please note, the Nazis were an offshoot of the Green movement. The insane eco-centric ideas of the greenies are as crazxy as the craziest stuff from the Nazis.”
A bit too simplistic; they were as much an offshoot of nationalism, American progressive socialist eugenics, the general socialist/atheist spirit of the era, and esoterics as they were a Green movement. But 70% of the members of Der Wandervogel, the green pre-hippie movement, did join the NSDAP – far more than in the general population.
It is just as well these fires are burning now, despite a number of houses lost. Imagine what a fire could have done here later in the summer during the post Christmas holidays. Temperature are often around 40C for days at a time.
Most hazard reduction burns in Western Australia occur in the late winter and spring before it gets really hot, sometimes they get away, too. Over the years a number of towns have been wiped out by fires in the South West, making these hazard reduction burns an essential annual process.
A hot fire in summer is always a nightmare scenario in Australia’s Eucalyptus forests.
I live in tropical north Queensland where the T’s And R/F for September were much the same as they were in the last 20 years that I’ve recorded. We spent most of October in temperate Tasmania where we experienced T’s from -2 to 12 C most of the time, snow on 13th Oct, with snow on the tops, still, when we left on Oct. 24. We flew over the Australian Alps—covered in snow—-over Canberra ( having consistent morning lows of -1 C and then not far to the north we saw the bushfires west of Sydney. By the 27 Oct, the Climate Committee (previously the Climate Commission, now sacked) had firmly placed the blame for the fires on AGW. This in spite of the ADF admitting accidently starting one of the most severe outbreaks, and summary arrests of various youths. The press is screaming for an open debate on what to do as the threat from AGW incineration gets worse. The graphs from our official agencies of history of severe WEATHER events (flood,fire,cyclone,tornado etc) show no positive trends at all, but the same agengies are supporting the AGW meme! Stop the world. I want to get off. It’s not the climate average I’m afraid of; it’s people average.
Ian W says:
October 29, 2013 at 1:07 am
“Forest fires are entirely natural – there are several species of insects that have evolved to make use of burnt wood to lay their eggs and can sense smoke from tens of miles away. Evolution takes a LONG time so forest fires must be extremely common for these species to survive.”
Hear, hear!
Dry savanah trees are fire resistant and fire tolerant, a feature of other dry country species worldwide.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_ecology#Fire_resistance
Jack Pines and spruce cones need fire to spring open their cones and drop new seeds to the ground. Some birds only build nests in young jack pine so these also depend on fire!!
http://techalive.mtu.edu/meec/module11/FireandJackPine.htm
Man the ignorance of the experts has never been more roundly demonstrated than over the past 25-40 years. Where are the honest foresters and ecologists these days. I guess they must be hiding their views until retirement.
Eucalyptus (gum trees many varieties) have oil in their leaves that is harvested for oil and has health benefits, same as tea tree oils. This is also on leaf matter, as they lose leaves all year round. But they have evolved with bush fires and will regenerate as their seeds need to be heated before germinating. All this bulshhh about bush fires being created from climate change is ignorant. Some of the fires were deliberately started by kids.
Anyway we have had heavy rains and hail yesterday and possibly this is a blessing.Bush fires are part of Australia’s ancient history mainly from lightening strikes, well before this island continent was inhabited by human kind. Even the Greens leader Milne, said about her deputy Brand, that bush fires were not the result of climate change, have never or will be the case. I don’t think Aussies were impressed.
I live in the upper Blue Mountains, and the local newspaper featured dozens of photos of houses destroyed by these bushfires. In almost every single case, bushland and trees were very close to the houses destroyed, and in some cases were right next to them. Mandating cleared areas around zones of housing would have avoided much of this loss of property.
Tree-worshipping and green-tape have everything to do with it. People should not be shocked when Nature’s benign mask slips off once in a while.
At least one of the biggest fires was started by the Army. They got a bit too enthusiastic while practising blowing things up. I’m sure that they wouldn’t have done that if there were less CO2 in the atmosphere.
RoHa, what rot! The Army has denied these accusations and the inquiry is still on going.
@ur momisugly bushbunny
So Acting Chief of Defence, Air Marshall Mark Binskin, was jumping the gun when he apologised on 24 October?
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/in-depth/bushfires/nsw-bushfire-started-by-army-a-side-effect/story-fngw0i02-1226745716518
http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/defence-apologises-for-starting-massive-state-mine-fire-20131024-2w3y7.html#ixzz2jBID2VUQ
In his letter of 25 October
http://news.defence.gov.au/2013/10/25/letter-to-the-editor-fairfax-media/
he does not deny that the Army started the fire (though he does not confirm it, either) but does deny that the Army used too much explosive.
It seems that the inquiry is to establish how it happened.
I can’t find a denial anywhere, yet.
I’m sick to death of this complete and utter BS and media hype.
The Australian bush burns – PERIOD. Get over it.
It always has and it always will – REGARDLESS of anything.
It happens almost every single year – I have NO pity for the IDIOTS who build a house between the gum tree’s then whine and cry because their house burnt down etc..
I have NO pity for the IDIOTS who actually listen to the many ILLEGAL local councils in these areas who refuse to allow people to clear bush from around their homes to prevent them burning down.
Seriously just how stupid do you have to be to put your self in this position OR to allow an idiotic local council to prevent you from protecting yourself and your home? – I have no pity.
Just like the other IDIOTS who build houses in flood prone areas – do this and suffer the consequences of your OWN stupidity – I have NO pity – no pity at all.
Have a heart pet some day you might be fooled between white or grey space. There goes me or you only for the grace of god. Mary Ireland
RoHO, Yes you are right, this denial was early in the piece, so are they going to pay for the damage? With a total fire ban who says explosives are exempt?
I hope those kids too are charged. Especially the 11 year old who reoffended, then released again and he and his father gave the finger to the waiting media outside of court.