(Urgency Proposal) The catastrophic Victoria wildfires: impact of extreme burn severity on the soil system
Lead Research Organisation:
Swansea University
Department Name: School of the Environment and Society
Abstract
The catastrophic wildfires near Melbourne on Feb. 7 2009, which caused the tragic loss of many lives, occurred during an unprecedented extreme of fire weather. Dry northerly winds gusting up to 100 km/h coincided with the highest temperatures ever recorded in this region. These conditions, combined with the very high biomass of mature eucalypt forests, very low fuel moisture conditions and steep slopes, generated burning conditions of hitherto unprecedented severity. Virtually no data exist on the impact of such extreme burning conditions on the soil system. The aim of this urgency proposal is to collect a reference soil sample set, made available to the scientific community for future analyses, and obtain exploratory soil property data enabling the effects of this very extreme burn severity on the soil system to be determined. This allows a much more accurate prediction of the impacts of very severe wildfires, which are expected to become more common with global warming and affect, for example, vegetation recovery, hydrological response, soil erodibility, sediment transfer and downstream impacts of ash and soil eroded from hillslopes. Where fires occur near major population centres (as is the case for the Melbourne fires), they often coincide with low reservoir water levels and pose a major pollution risk for water bodies following heavy rainfall. Although some fires are still active in Victoria, sample collection is urgent because once major southern-hemisphere winter rainfall events occur, soil surface material will be eroded, mixed and redistributed, closing this brief window of opportunity.
Publications
Santín C
(2012)
Carbon loads, forms and sequestration potential within ash deposits produced by wildfire: new insights from the 2009 'Black Saturday' fires, Australia
in European Journal of Forest Research
Description | The 2009 Black Saturday wildfires have occurred under the most severe fire weather recorded in Australia. Despite the accepted extreme burning conditions, the effects on the soil have been surprisingly limited. This was associated with a very rapid movement of the fire which led to limited heat transfer into the soil. We also found that substantial amounts of charcoal were produced in this fire, which can act as a longer-term carbon sink. Once the vegetation has fully recovered, this may lead to this extreme wildfire event becoming an overall net carbon sink mechanism. |
Exploitation Route | The general ability of charcoal to 'lock up' carbon could be taken advantage of in prescribed management burns, which could be modified towards maximum charcoal production. |
Sectors | Environment |
Description | Our research findings on the role of soil wettability in determining runoff and erosion dynamics following severe wildfires, and specifically the links between fire severity and soil wettability changes examined in this project drove changes in post-fire assessment policy by the United States Forest Service (USFS) in 2011. The policy guidelines, also applied increasingly elsewhere, now include specific assessments of soil wettability, which can strongly affect runoff responses. From these assessments, post-fire landscape-rehabilitation treatments are applied in high-risk areas to restrict erosion, landslides, flooding, and aquifer contamination. Since wildfire activity is increasing globally, our work's impact expands accordingly. |
First Year Of Impact | 2011 |
Sector | Environment |
Impact Types | Policy & public services |
Description | Fire and water: predicting and mitigating water pollution risk from wildfire ash |
Amount | £550,396 (GBP) |
Funding ID | NE/R011125/1 |
Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 03/2018 |
End | 03/2021 |
Description | Industry Funding |
Amount | £5,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Lloyd's Register |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Industry funding |
Amount | £15,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | N.A. |
Organisation | Sydney Water |
Sector | Public |
Country | Australia |
Start | 01/2014 |
End | 12/2014 |
Description | Article in international press |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Article in "Die Welt" on Australian bushfires and their impacts (Die Welt is in German, but has a wide global distribution) |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.welt.de/wissenschaft/plus205013954/Feuer-in-Australien-So-viel-Klimawandel-steckt-in-den... |
Description | Invited presentation to OECD working group on global wildfire risk and potential impacts including on water quality |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Presentation on wildfire and climate change at OECD task force meeting for climate change adaption to 80 OECD delegates from 38 countries. The working group intends to bring wildfire adaptation into general policy within the OECD |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2006,2020 |
URL | https://www.slideshare.net/OECD_ENV/task-force-on-climate-change-adaptation-stefan-doerr |