Bushfire Season Research Articles

Documenting Australia’s 2019/2020 bushfires

ABSTRACT Vast, and unprecedented, bushfires swept across the Australian continent in 2019/2020 signalling a traumatic transition into the Anthropocene. As global heating and other dimensions of this new epoch transform our physical and emotional environments, how might museums empower people to face, accept and respond to the great emotional, cultural and technical challenges of our times? Framed within the museum’s broader thinking about the Anthropocene and imminent redevelopment of its environmental history gallery, this paper reflects on challenges and opportunities in the process of connecting with Australian communities to document the 2019/2020 bushfire season. It includes discussions of the acquisition of the Bungendore Firies’ Fridge and the community engagement work that surrounds the acquisition of a payphone – the only public payphone in the town of Cobargo in regional New South Wales – that was charred by the deadly fires. Museums, we argue, can and often do provide important spaces to collectively acknowledge and honour the material, ecological and social connectivities that hold our communities together and thereby empower people to respond with dedication.

Causes of the Widespread 2019–2020 Australian Bushfire Season

AbstractThe recent bushfires (2019–2020) in New South Wales (NSW) Australia were catastrophic by claiming human and animal lives, affecting ecosystems, destroying infrastructure, and more. Recent studies have investigated relationships between hydroclimatic signals and past bushfires, and very recently, a few commentary papers claimed drought and fuel moisture content as the probable causes for the widespread 2019–2020 bushfires. Therefore, in this study, a novel work of encompassing a wide range of factors attributing to the recent bushfires is presented. Empirical evidence‐based statistical methods are used to identify the hydroclimatic variables and geomorphic characteristics contributing to the 2019–2020 bushfires. The results highlight that ongoing drought, surface soil moisture (SSM), wind speed (WS10), relative humidity (RH), heat waves (HW), dead and live fuel moisture, and certain land cover types create favorable conditions for fire ignition and aid in fire propagation in different regions of the NSW state. The findings suggest that accounting for the above‐identified variables in bushfire prediction and monitoring system are crucial in avoiding such catastrophes in the future. The overarching application of this study is developing robust and more versatile fire protection planning and management.

Towards resilient health systems for increasing climate extremes: insights from the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season

The public health emergency associated with the 2019–20 bushfires in Australia was a wake-up call to increase the resilience of our health systems to respond to climate extremes. We must combine our understanding of predictions of extreme weather events with our knowledge on emergency preparedness and response to protect the health of citizens.

‘COORDINATED INAUTHENTIC BEHAVIOUR’ AND OTHER ONLINE INFLUENCE OPERATIONS IN SOCIAL MEDIA SPACES

Recently, major social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have announced efforts to counter "coordinated inauthentic behaviour." However, scholarly research continues to provide evidence that coordinated human and automated accounts covertly seek to undermine and manipulate public debates on these platforms. Given the difficulties in obtaining data from these platforms to study these influence operations, and the significant challenge of identifying covert malinformation operations, further conceptual and methodological innovations are required. This panel brings together a selection of recent studies that advance the methods available for the forensic, mixed-methods, in-depth, and large-scale analysis of inauthentic information operations: Paper 1 investigates the arson disinformation campaign during the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season. Paper 2 investigates the distribution and content monetisation strategies of junk news sources across a selection of five major social media platforms during the 2019 European Parliament campaign. Paper 3 explores whether Facebook's microtargeting advertising functionality allows political parties to promote conflicting narratives to different groups of people. Paper 4 studies the experience and engagement with malinformation by users of Facebook and WhatsApp, focussing on the current political environment in Brazil.

Corporate support for threatened species recovery efforts: three case studies from the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season

ABSTRACT A diverse range of corporations, businesses and organisations play an important role in threatened species conservation. During the unprecedented bushfire season in Australia in the 2019–20 summer, corporations, businesses and organisations contributed significant financial and in-kind support for the Saving our Species Program’s threatened species recovery efforts. On the eastern coast, a combination of food shortages and heat stress events resulted in large numbers of Grey-headed Flying-foxes Pteropus poliocephalus requiring rescue and rehabilitation. Prolonged drought and intense bushfires reduced available foraging resources for the Brush-tailed Rock-wallaby Petrogale penicillata and Mountain Pygmy-possum Burramys parvus. Corporations donated produce to feed flying-foxes in care and provide supplementary feeding for wild populations of rock-wallabies and pygmy-possums. Local businesses and organisations also supplied resources, funding and food storage capacity to support these conservation actions. The contributions from corporations, businesses and organisations in these case studies totalled more than $70,000.

Rapidly mapping fire effects on biodiversity at a large-scale using citizen science

The unprecedented scale of the 2019–2020 eastern Australian bushfires exemplifies the challenges that scientists and conservation biologists face monitoring the effects on biodiversity in the aftermath of large-scale environmental disturbances. After a large-scale disturbance, conservation policy and management actions need to be both timely and informed by data. By working with the public, often widely spread out over such disturbed areas, citizen science offers a unique opportunity to collect data on biodiversity responses at the appropriate scale. We detail a citizen science project, hosted through iNaturalist, launched shortly after the 2019–2020 bushfire season in eastern Australia. It rapidly (1) provided accurate data on fire severity, relevant to future recovery; and (2) delivered data on a wide range (mosses to mammals) of biodiversity responses at a scale that matched the geographic extent of these fires.

A shared risk: volunteer shortages in Australia’s rural bushfire brigades

ABSTRACT In the latter part of 2019 and into 2020, Australia experienced an unprecedented bushfire season, with major bushfires burning more than 18 million hectares. The scale of the fires served to highlight Australia’s heavy reliance on rural volunteer firefighters, bringing into sharp focus the long-term issues that many volunteer bushfire brigades have faced with recruitment and retention. Against the backdrop of long-term government dis-investment into the provision of essential services in rural communities, and with rural volunteer participation at saturation, a deeper understanding of the factors that influence involvement in volunteer bushfire brigades is vital. This review paper examined the factors that have contributed to rural volunteer shortages, particularly in the Australian context. The research revealed that increased time and financial demands on volunteers hampered attraction and retention efforts. The time and financial costs for individuals to volunteer had risen as a result of increased centralised regulation of volunteer provided services. Given the reliance of Australia’s broader population, environment and economy on the work of volunteer firefighters, there is a critical need for new empirical research to investigate how organisational cultures, changes in attitudes to different forms of volunteering and changes in employment practices will impact rural volunteer bushfire services.

Can digital technology help reduce smoke exposure and protect health in extreme air quality events?

Abstract Background In the southern hemisphere summer of 2019-2020, Australia experienced its most severe bushfire season on record. Smoke from fires affected 80% of the population, with large exceedances of the Australian National Air Quality Standard for particulate air pollution recorded in all major population centres during this period. We examined if emerging and innovative digital technology can assist extreme smoke-affected populations to reduce their exposure and protect their health. Methods AirRater is a free smartphone app that tracks air quality and user symptoms in near real-time. We distributed an online survey to over 13,000 app users to assess how they used this information during the 2019-20 bushfire season, and if the app was helpful in decision-making around reducing personal smoke exposure. Results We received responses from 1732 users (13.3%). Respondents reported that the app was highly useful, supporting informed decisions regarding daily activities during the smoke-affected period. Commonly reported activities supported by information provided through the app were staying inside (76%), rescheduling or planning outdoor activities (64%), changing locations to less affected areas (29%) and informing decisions on medication use (15%). Conclusions Smartphone apps enable users to reduce smoke exposure and protect their health by providing individual-level and location-specific data. Furthermore, digital technology such as AirRater provides the potential to provide insight into the community impacts of environmental hazards such as bushfire smoke. Key messages Smartphone apps enable users to reduce their smoke exposure and protect their health. These emerging technologies can help public health authorities to understand the community impact of environmental hazards.

Preparing health professionals to practice environmentally sustainable healthcare

Abstract Background In 2019 the WHO identified climate change and air pollution as the top global threat to health. This was illustrated by the health consequences of the catastrophic 2019-20 Australian bushfire season. Health-care systems also contribute to climate change and environmental degradation. For Australia, health care contributes 7% of total carbon emissions and produces considerable clinical and non-clinical waste which is either incinerated or sent to landfill. Despite these threats to health there is a limited response by health professions education to include climate change and environmentally sustainable healthcare in curricula. Methods Medical Deans of Australia and New Zealand (MDANZ) is the peak body for professional medical education in Australasia. MDANZ formed a Climate Change and Health Working Group to develop curriculum and learning resources. The Group comprises representatives of Australasian medical schools and student representative organisations. The scope for curriculum was defined by searching the literature, reviewing teaching experience, and benchmarking against relevant courses developed for medical students by peers. Results Five broad areas of learning were identified; graduate outcome statements and learning objectives were developed aligned with these. Once endorsed by MDANZ these were circulated to all medical schools to inform curriculum review. A resource repository is being developed to support curriculum change. Ways to measure and monitor inclusion in medical programs are being researched. Conclusions We must prepare future practitioners for their role in transforming health care to become carbon neutral. Using a public health approach, system level change in medical education is being supported in Australasia. All health professions have a role in providing environmentally sustainable health care. The Group provides a model that can be used by other health professions to create change at the necessary pace and scale. Key messages The health education sector must prepare graduates for climate change and environmentally sustainable healthcare. By working collaboratively at a systems level, change can occur at pace and scale.

Uncovering a Climate Catastrophe? Media Coverage of Australia’s Black Summer Bushfires and the Revelatory Extent of the Climate Blame Frame

The Black Summer of 2019/2020 saw the forests of southeast Australia go up in flames. The fire season started early, in September 2019, and by March 2020 fires had burned over 12.6 million hectares (Werner and Lyons). The scale and severity of the fires was quickly confirmed by scientists to be "unprecedented globally" (Boer et al.) and attributable to climate change (Nolan et al.). The fires were also a media spectacle, generating months of apocalyptic front-page images and harrowing broadcast footage. Media coverage was particularly preoccupied by the cause of the fires. Media framing of disasters often seeks to attribute blame (Anderson et al.; Ewart and McLean) and, over the course of the fire period, blame for the fires was attributed to climate change in much media coverage. However, as the disaster unfolded, denialist discourses in some media outlets sought to veil this revelation by providing alternative explanations for the fires. Misinformation originating from social media also contributed to this obscuration. In this article, we investigate the extent to which media coverage of the 2019/2020 bushfires functioned both to precipitate a climate change epiphany and also to support refutation of the connection between catastrophic fires and the climate crisis.

Using Digital Technology to Protect Health in Prolonged Poor Air Quality Episodes: A Case Study of the AirRater App during the Australian 2019–20 Fires

In the southern hemisphere summer of 2019–20, Australia experienced its most severe bushfire season on record. Smoke from fires affected 80% of the population, with large and prolonged exceedances of the Australian National Air Quality Standard for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) recorded in all major population centers. We examined if AirRater, a free smartphone app that reports air quality and tracks user symptoms in near real-time, assisted those populations to reduce their smoke exposure and protect their health. We distributed an online survey to over 13,000 AirRater users to assess how they used this information during the 2019–20 bushfire season, and why it was helpful to aid decision-making in reducing personal smoke exposure. We received responses from 1732 users (13.3%). Respondents reported the app was highly useful, supporting informed decision-making regarding daily activities during the smoke-affected period. Commonly reported activities supported by information provided through the app were staying inside (76%), rescheduling or planning outdoor activities (64%), changing locations to less affected areas (29%) and informing decisions on medication use (15%). Innovative and easy-to-use smartphone apps such as AirRater, that provide individual-level and location-specific data, can enable users to reduce their exposure to environmental hazards and therefore protect their health.

A Cultural Change for Leadership Identities: Could Aboriginal Artists Reveal a Different Approach?

Leadership in Australia is in crisis, as evidenced by the catastrophic bushfire season during the summer of 2019-2020. It is widely accepted that the intensity of these fires is driven by the changes in climate predicted some twelve years ago (Garnaut, 2008). Yet despite knowledge of this impending disaster, attempts to mitigate the impact of climate change with developments in alternative economic and energy models have been stymied by political leaders. The resulting environmental damage suggests that the way in which we identify and promote our leaders has failed the ultimate challenge of our age. In the search for hope and a way forward, alternative leadership models capable of implementing positive change are needed. Under these circumstances, it is imperative to seek models that harmonise culture and the environment. Such innovative models of leadership characteristics and identities have been identified in the creative disciplines, particularly within Indigenous societies. As an art critic and writer over thirty years, my research has noted the leadership roles and respect that Australian Aboriginal artists frequently hold within their communities. I propose a starting point for potential disruption and insights to alternative leadership approaches. It is through the examination and reflection of ways in which narrative and culture connects communities to create hope through identifying positive futures and “relatedness” that impactful, progressive, leadership may be realised. Relatedness is required to remedy the failing leadership model in Australia. Indigenous methodologies such as Please Knock before You Enter (Martin, 2009) developed a research paradigm “founded on the principles of cultural respect and cultural safety and embedded in Aboriginal ontology, epistemology and axiology”. In Aboriginal communities, art provides a touchstone to the past and innovation toward the future. This paper examines characteristics that may serve mainstream society from the creative models available, particularly focussing on Aboriginal artists who are leaders in their community and cultural contributors at the same time. While there are conflicts visible between these divergent roles, their connectivity to the narratives of their place and people offer significant points of difference to the way in which we select and promote our current political leaders. There is little discussion of leadership models modelled by Aboriginal arts and culture in existing literature to date. In this paper I acknowledge the novel nature of the material under discussion. However its potential ability to transform the way in which we manage both leadership and crucial environmental decisions at this juncture toward new leadership paradigms is the subject of the explorations below.

Impact of Australia's catastrophic 2019/20 bushfire season on communities and environment. Retrospective analysis and current trends

2019/20 Australia's bushfire season (Black Summer fires) occurred during a period of record breaking temperatures and extremely low rainfall. To understand the impact of these climatic values we conducted a preliminary analysis of the 2019/20 bushfire season and compared it with the fire seasons between March 2000 and March 2020 in the states of New South Wales (NSW), Victoria, and South Australia (SA). Forest and fire management in Australia were asked to provide data on the number of fires, burned area, life and house loss, as well as weather conditions. By March 2020 Black Summer fires burnt almost 19 million hectares, destroyed over 3,000 houses, and killed 33 people. Data showed that they were unprecedented in terms of impact on all areas. A number of mega-fires occurred in NSW resulting in more burned area than in any fire season during the last 20 years. One of them was the largest recorded forest fire in Australian history. Victoria had a season with the highest number of fires, area burned, and second highest numbers of houses lost for the same period. SA had the highest number of houses lost in the last 20 years. Black Summer fires confirmed existing trends of impact categories during the last two decades for NSW and Victoria. It showed that the smoke from the bushfires may be a significant concern in the future for the global community, as it travels to other countries and continents. Based on preliminary data, it will take many years to restore the economy and infrastructure in impacted areas, and to recover animal and vegetation biodiversity.

COVID-19: An Australian Perspective

Australia looks to be one of those lucky countries that adopted an early public health response limiting community transmission of COVID-19 and avoiding the levels of acute hospitalization and fatality seen in other settings. Yet the pandemic came on the back of the largest bushfire season the country had seen which itself followed a sequence of climatic disasters involving drought, cyclones and floods. The social and economic impact of the COVID-19 response has been substantial with widespread loss of employment, social dislocation and health fears sparked across the nation. Findings from risk modeling and population surveillance provide preliminary evidence of increased burden of psychological distress, morbidity and risk of suicide resulting from the current crisis. We also highlight the mental health risk that may arise from increased sedentary behavior with the introduction of lockdown and physical distancing measures. We also outline the potently valuable role of drawing on salutogenic models including resilience and posttraumatic growth research for individual and broader community level need.

Out of the ashes: volunteer nursing Australia’s bushfire affected native wildlife – part I

The Australian Summer of 2019–2020 has brought us our worst bushfire season ever recorded, covering approximately 14 million hectares (34.6 million acres) of countryside, an area equivalent to almost 60% of the UK. A current estimate of losses includes 33 human lives, 3,000 homes and over I billion animals (wildlife, farm and domestic animals), including 8,000 koalas. Many of our native species were already threatened or endangered prior to the fires; their populations have now been decimated and their territories and food sources have been destroyed, leading to the starvation of many initial survivors.Wildlife carers have been overrun with injured and orphaned wildlife, with assistance coming from numerous individuals and organisations within Australia and overseas. One such group is the Australian-based international animal charity Vets Beyond Borders (VBB) and its Australian Veterinary Emergency Response Team (AVERT).

Experimental evidence of the multiple microclimatic impacts of bushfires in affected urban areas: the case of Sydney during the 2019/2020 Australian season

This paper presents the results of a monitoring campaign conducted in the inner west of the city of Sydney during the 2019/2020 bushfire season. The combined effects of extreme pollution, heat waves and droughts are analyzed in terms of microclimatic perturbation. A compact meteorological station measured air temperature, relative humidity, barometric pressure, precipitation, wind (speed and direction), solar radiation, UV radiation, UV index, PM1, PM2.5 and PM10, at the one site. The monitoring campaign lasted from the 20th of December 2019 to the 13th of January 2020, when hundreds of bushfires were ravaging the bordering areas. A suite of dependencies emerged between PM concentration and air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed and rain. PM concentration was higher during the night and in the morning, especially after daytime overheating events (temperature above 35 °C). Raindrops triggered the highest and most persistent dust levels. Dense layers of PMs, in turn, strongly attenuated the UV radiation. Collected data also indicated anomalies in the intensity of the urban heat island compared to historical trends. This study is a first attempt to link together several different parameters on a local scale under weather anomalies. Future efforts will be directed to strengthening the validity of the above results and approach to broader boundary conditions.

International Weather Events 2019: Historic Heat, Hurricanes, and Fires

Bird’s eye view of a forest near Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, heavily burnt by the devastating bushfire season during the last months of 2019.Bad things came in pairs this year. Two unpreced...

What caused Australia’s disastrous wildfires? It’s complicated

The country’s catastrophic bushfire season could either be a one-off or a new normal, experts say.

Australian Bushfires: Current trends, causes, and social-ecological impacts

Bushfires are common events in Australia reaching their peak each summer season. However, the last bushfire season from July 2019 until March 2020 was unprecedented. An estimated area between 240,000 up to 400,000 km² burned, with the southeast coast being particularly affected. The images of burnt flora and fauna and the fires that raged for months went around the world. It became clear how vulnerable both Australia’s communities and ecosystems are to this natural hazard, which is becoming more frequent and intense. Australia’s southeast is increasingly vulnerable against the often sudden event of bushfires. This article discusses the current trends, causes for this extreme fire season, the socio-economic and ecological impacts, and the resulting adaptation processes.

126 Increased Rates of Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy During the 2019 New South Wales Bushfires

The recent 2019 bushfire was considered one of worse in Australian history. It placed considerable physical and emotional stress on communities throughout New South Wales. During this period, we noted an increased number of patients diagnosed with takotsubo cardiomyopathy at our centre compared with previous years. We performed a retrospective analysis of all patients admitted to Campbelltown Hospital during the bushfire season (between September 1 and December 31) of 2017, 2018 and 2019, respectively. Takotusbo cardiomyopathy was diagnosed based on apical ballooning on left ventriculogram or transthoracic echocardiogram after obstructive coronary artery disease was ruled out by coronary angiography. Diagnoses were correlated with air quality data as per average PM2.5 readings. 11 cases of takotsubo cardiomyopathy were diagnosed at our centre during the 2019 bushfire period compared with 5 cases in 2018 and 4 cases in 2017. All 11 patients were female, with mean age 67.8±11.8 years. 3/11 (27.3%) had diabetes. 7/11 (63.6%) presented with chest pain. Mean left ventricular ejection fraction was 40.1±10.9% and peak high-sensitivity troponin-T was 394.3±260.5 ng/L. 9/11 (82%) patients were diagnosed once the average PM2.5 levels exceeded the ‘moderately unhealthy’ range of 12.1 μg/m3, in comparison to previous years in which the PM2.5 was always less than 10.0 μg/m3. We observed increased rates of takotsubo cardiomyopathy at our centre during the 2019 New South Wales bushfires, which was associated with worsening air quality levels.