August 1, 2023
This year’s bushfire season has the potential to be especially dangerous, according to a university researcher.
Professor Guan Yeoh, director of the ARC Training Centre in Fire Retardant Materials and Safety Technologies at the University of NSW, said recent weather patterns had created conditions that increase the chance of major bushfires.
These included three years of increased rain which have promoted rapid vegetation growth, followed by a more recent very dry winter.
This means any lightning strikes – which cause about 50 per cent of bushfires in Australia – could easily spark rapidly spreading fires over wide areas.
In addition, the World Meteorological Organisation has recently forecast that the southern hemisphere is entering into an El Niño climate cycle and has warned of a “surge in global temperatures”.
“In the last few years, we have had a lot of rain and floods and because of that there has been a lot of growth of grass, trees and bushland,” Prof Yeoh said.
“This winter has been very dry and now we must be ready for a scenario where we will have high summer temperatures, the same as they are currently experiencing in the northern hemisphere.
“Given all that I think it is important for people to be really prepared for bushfire season and think about what might be coming.”
