Introduction
Bushfires are synonymous with summer - but how true is that truism? In the Top End they're a winter phenomenon. In southern Queensland and northern NSW they mainly hit in spring...it's only further south that summer is the bushfire season. Paradoxically, cold fronts make them much worse.
Source: Rob Webb, Bureau of Meteorology on ABC National RadioIt's an education thing, most people aren't aware of the fact that fire is one of the major tools that has shaped this continent and it is still shaping it...The most encouraging thing to me working in fire for a long time is that the biologists, the botanists now realise that fire is a necessary part of the environment and are looking for ways to re-introduce it.
Aborigines had the ability to care for land which enabled them to conserve and protect the flora and fauna, especially through their fire management practices. Europeans had no understanding of the land and treated it as treasure trove of goodies instead of a fragile environment and also stopped the traditional owners from caring for it.
Source: A Burning Issue, Landline, April 7 2002
Source: Tim Flannery, Eating the Future: Hypotheses, The Future Eaters, ABC
The Task
Your task is to investigate the role that scientists have played in the understanding of bushfire behaviour and their effect on the Australian landscape, both today and in the past. Is bushfire a necessary part of the Asutralian ecology? Are bushfires something that we as Australians just have to live with? Are all bushfires the same? What technologies are being used to monitor bushfires? Why is south-eastern Australia so vulnerable to bushfires? Why do they most often occur at the beginning of summer?
The Process and Resources
Phase 1 - Background: Something for Everyone
Now use the Internet information linked below to answer the basic questions of how an understanding of science can help in the prediction, monitoring and management of bushfire and their impact on the Australian environment. Be creative in exploring the information so that you answer these questions as fully and insightfully as you can.
Use the Internet information linked below to explore the whole picture and what others (some informed people, some with special interests) have to say on the subject.
- From Space to the Outback: Satellite Observations Help Australia Battle Raging Bushfires
- from Earth Observatory at NASA, includes images from the recent Canberra fires
- Fact Sheet Index
- the index of the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Bush Fire Program covering topics such as Fire and Wildlife, Pre-European Fire History, Ants and Fire- Bushfires
- an account of bushfires in the Sydney region relating it to the local biology, geology and weather by Science writer, Peter Macinnis- A Burning Issue
- from Landline, ABC TV- The Effects of Fire on Victorian Bushland Environments
- from Natural Resources and Environment, Victoria- Bushfires - An Integral Part of Australia's Environment
- from Australian Bureau of Statistics, Year Book Australia 2002
Phase 2 - Looking Deeper from Different Perspectives
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Individuals or pairs from your larger WebQuest team will explore the science of bushfires from different professional perspectives.
- Read through the files linked to your group. If you print out the files, underline the passages that you feel are the most important. If you look at the files on the computer, copy sections you feel are important by dragging the mouse across the passage and copying / pasting it into a word processor or other writing software.
- Note: Remember to write down or copy/paste the URL of the file you take the passage from so you can quickly go back to it if you need to prove your point and so that you can reference your sources in your bibliography.
Meteorologist
- Bushfire Weather
- from Bureau of Meteorology, Australia, outlines how weather affects bushfires and how bushfires affect the weather, online version- Bushfire Weather
- from Bureau of Meteorology, Australia, outlines how weather affects bushfires and how bushfires affect the weather, pdf version- El Nino and the Southern Oscillation Index
- from ACT Emergency Services Bureau, relates the occurrence of bushfires to the El Niño and the Southern Oscillation Index- Why wind shifts make fires spread faster
- from Firebreak, Information on bushfires, from ACT Emergency Services Bureau- New Year brings more fire fears around Sydney
- from Planet Ark
- Discuss the role of a meteorologist in predicting bushfires and their spread.
- Describe the weather conditions that prevailed in Sydney at the time of Black Christmas fires.
- Describe how weather conditions can affect bushfires.
- Explain why the bushfires "season" is different in various regions of Australia.
- Explain why bushfires occur every couple of years.
Remote Sensing/Geoscientist
- UniSA puts out a bushfire alert
- a press release from the University of South Australia- Satellite imagery manages bushfires
- from Savanna Links, Tropical Savanna CRC, Northern Territory- Geographic Information System (GIS)
- a Fact Sheet from the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Bush Fire Program- Australia's National Report to the Fourth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
- general information on monitoring the Australian Landscape using GIS- Fundamentals of Remote Sensing
- from Natural Resources, Canada- Remote Sensing Tutorial
- from Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA, history of and information about remote sensing- Fire in the Top End: The use of NOAA-AVHRR for fire management In Australia's tropical savannas
- an article in GIS User- NSW bushfires December 2001 - January 2002
- from National Mapping, GeoScience Australia- NSW bushfires October 2000
- from National Mapping, GeoScience Australia- Images of Canberra fires
- satellite image from ACRES, GeoScience Australia- Fire Events 2002 Australia
- an archive of satellite images from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration- Fire Events
- an archive of satellite images from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration- Bushfires - CANBERRA, 18 January 2003
- from Geosciences Australia
- Discuss the role of a remote sensing geoscientist in interpreting.
- Describe the weather conditions that prevailed in Sydney at the time of Black Christmas fires.
- Describe how weather conditions can affect bushfires.
- Explain why the bushfires "season" is different in various regions of Australia.
- Explain why bushfires occur every couple of years.
Ecologist
- Fire and Biodiversity: The Effects and Effectiveness of Fire Management
series of conference papers from Department of Environment and Heritage- Fire Ecology
- from Dandenong Ranges National Park, covers the adaptations to bushfires exhibited by fire resistant Australian native plants- Burning for Biodiversity
- a pdf fact sheet from CSIRO- Adaptation to Fire
- from Australian National University, part of a student devised and developed education module- Fire and Australia's Fauna
- from Australian National University, student devised and developed education module- Evolution of the Myrtle Family in Australia
- from Australian Plants online, The Society for Growing Australian Plants- The Passage of Fire
- from Australian Plants online, The Society for Growing Australian Plants- The Vale of Avoca Reserve
- regeneration in a region of the Blue Mountains following the 1994 bushfires- Regeneration of Australian bushland following a bushfire
- a virtual field trip to Royal National Park and Heathcote National Park after the Black Christmas fires- Fire as a Wildlife Habitat Management Tool
- a fact sheet from Land for Wildlife program south-east Queensland- Fire Ecology and Post Fire Ecology
- from Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Bush Fire Program- Australian Plants at Risk
- from the Society for Growing Australian Plants- The Co-Evolution of Fire and the Australian Landscape
- from Australian National University, part of a student devised and developed education module covering how fire has helped develop the Australian landscape- The role of the NPWS in managing fire
- from NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service- Plant Response to Bush Fire - from Gardening Australia, ABC
- CASE STUDY: Impact of January 1994 Fires in Royal National Park
- from NSW State of the Environment Report 1995- Australian Advances: Torching the Outback
- from CSIRO- How Fires Affect Biodiversity
- Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research
- Discuss the role of an ecologist in understanding the effects of bushfires.
- Outline how some Australian native plants have adapted to bushfires.
- Outline how some Australian native fauna depend on the occurence of bushfires.
- Explain how the nature of some Australian native plants increase the risk of bushfires and how it has changed the landscape.
Anthropologist
- Fire and the Aborigine
- from Australian National University, student devised and developed education module- Pre-European Fire History
- a fact sheet from the Nature Conservation Council of NSW- Indigenous fire practice in Western Arnhem Land: Lessons for today
- a fact sheet from Tropical Savannas CRC- Traditional and non-traditional viewpoints: Arnhem Land Fire Stories
- a fact sheet from Tropical Savannas CRC- The Future Eaters
- supports the ABC documentary series by Tim Flannery- Aboriginal land use - from NSW HSC Online
- Discuss the role of an anthropologist in developing an understanding of the belief system of indigenous people.
- Describe "firestick" farming.
Fire researcher
- Fire Fact of the Month Archive
- from CSIRO Bushfire Behaviour and Management, a series of articles on the nature of bushfires including Characteristics of the fire front and Parts of a fire- Development of a Fire Management Strategy for Blue Gum (Eucalyptus globulus) Plantations
- from CSIRO Bushfire Behaviour and Management, outlines current research being conducted to minimise bushfire risk- Spotfire Project
- from CSIRO Bushfire Behaviour and Management, outlines a project that looks at how bushfires spread- The McArthur Forest and Grassland Fire Danger Meters
- from Firebreak, Information about bushfires, from ACT Emergency Services Bureau- Flames In The Forest Experiment Continues
- from Onwood, Research updates from CSIRO Forestry and Forest Products- Australian Advances: Torching the Outback
- from CSIRO- Fire behaviour
- from Farm Forest Line
- Discuss the role of a scientist in understanding the nature of bushfires.
- Describe three aspects of current research into the nature of fires and bushfires.
- Outline how the possibility of a bushfire is calculated and indicated.
Horticulturalist
- Strategies to Reduce Bushfire Damage in Gardens
- from Global Garden at Burnley College of Horticulture, part of the University of Melbourne's Institute of Land and Food Resources- Reducing The Risks - Keeping Your Home Safe From Fire
- from Between the Leaves, Department of Forestry and Department of Natural Resources- Australian Plants for Fire Prone Central Coast Gardens
- from Assocaition of Societies for Growing Australian Plants- Bushfires, Trees & Houses
- from State Forests on NSW
- Discuss how a knowledge of plant anatomy can assist in planning a garden or landscape to resist fires.
- Outline strategies for designing a fire resistant garden or landscape.
Medical researcher
- Tissue Engineering: A Case Study
- from National Engineers Week- Synthetic Skin
- from IEEE Spectrum Online- Artificial skin offers genuine hope
- a report from Massachusetts General Hospital and Shriners Burns Hospital- NIGMS-Supported Basic Research on Skin Replacement Following Burn or Trauma Injury
- from National Institute of Health- Scientists develop artificial 'skin'
- from BBC Online- Artificial skin offers hope to burn victims
- from CNN Health page- Artificial Skin Developed at MIT Now Ready for Treatment with Burn Patients
- from MIT News, Massachusetts Institute of Technology- The Burn Resource Center
- includes information on Types of Burns, Types of Scars and Skin Substitutes- The Use of Artificial Skin in Extensive Thermal Burn Injury
- from Emerald Health Care Group- Synthetic Skin
- a pdf file from University of Rhode Island- HUMAN-BASED BIONENGINEERED SKIN SUBSTITUDES
- a pdf file from University of Rhode Island
- Discuss the how an understanding of materials has helped in the development of artificial skin and skin substitutes.
- Discuss the how biotechnology and tissue engineering has helped in the treatment of burns.
Phase 3 - Debating, Discussing, and Reaching Consensus
You have all learned about a different aspect to the science of bushfires. Now group members come back to the larger WebQuest team with expertise gained by searching from one perspective.
You must all now answer the Task / Quest(ion) as a group. Each of you will bring a certain viewpoint to the answer: some of you will agree and others disagree. Use information, pictures, movies, facts, opinions, etc. from the web pages you explored to convince your team mates that your viewpoint is important and should be part of your team's answer to the Task / Quest(ion). Your WebQuest team should write out an answer that everyone on the team can live with.
Phase 4 - Real World Feedback
You and your team mates have learned a lot by dividing up to address different issues and points of view. Now's the time to put your learning into a format that can be shared with other interested people.
As a group, prepare recommendations for effective Bushfire Management. How can individuals be involved in Bushfire Management in a local area? What issues are better addressed at a State or Federal level? What is best for all Australians? There are many issues to address in understanding the science of bushfires and how they affect our environment.
Your group may decide to present their recommendations in written format, as a brochure or as a poster, in electronic format, as a presentation or web site, or through an oral presentation or debate.
Conclusion
How has science contributed to an understanding of bushfires, their prediction, monitoring and management, and their effect on the environment and the Australian landscape?
Border graphics © Darek Figa - original graphic can be viewed at Woronora Bushfire Brigade web site
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