Natural Hazards - Bushfires
Natural Hazards – Bushfires
A natural hazard is a natural event that has a significantly negative effect on people or the environment. Many natural hazards are related. For example drought can lead to famine and earthquakes can form tsunamis and landslides. Australia’s most common natural hazards are storms, cyclones, floods, droughts, heatwaves and bushfires. Natural Hazards have a major impact on Australian communities including loss of life, property damage, environmental destruction, and a loss of money due to disaster relief. There are two types of natural hazards; those that are related to the climate and weather (like droughts, bushfires and heatwaves), and those that are related to the earth’s crust and tectonic plates (such as earthquakes and tsunamis).
The natural hazard that I have chosen that affects Australia’s environment is bushfires. Bushfires occur very frequently in Australia, especially in the hotter months of the year because of Australia’s climate. Australia’s climate is mostly hot, dry and arid. Massive parts if Australia’s land is devastated by bushfires each year and these impact Australia’s population and environment in numerous ways.
Bushfires occur on every continent except Antarctica but they happen most commonly in Australia. Bushfires cause extensive damage to homes, property, crops and human life but they can also have a positive effect on some plant and animal species. Certain flora that are native to Australia have evolved to rely on bushfires for reproduction and have become an essential part of Australia’s ecology. Some eucalyptus trees, for example, have pods of seeds that split open during a bushfire and spread out causing reproduction of the flora species. Fire also allows for the growth of grass and other shrub like plants. There are four major types of bushfires. They are lightning fires, (caused by lightning creating a spark that lights) volcanic fires, (caused by sparks from rock fall due to volcanic eruptions)
A natural hazard is a natural event that has a significantly negative effect on people or the environment. Many natural hazards are related. For example drought can lead to famine and earthquakes can form tsunamis and landslides. Australia’s most common natural hazards are storms, cyclones, floods, droughts, heatwaves and bushfires. Natural Hazards have a major impact on Australian communities including loss of life, property damage, environmental destruction, and a loss of money due to disaster relief. There are two types of natural hazards; those that are related to the climate and weather (like droughts, bushfires and heatwaves), and those that are related to the earth’s crust and tectonic plates (such as earthquakes and tsunamis).
The natural hazard that I have chosen that affects Australia’s environment is bushfires. Bushfires occur very frequently in Australia, especially in the hotter months of the year because of Australia’s climate. Australia’s climate is mostly hot, dry and arid. Massive parts if Australia’s land is devastated by bushfires each year and these impact Australia’s population and environment in numerous ways.
Bushfires occur on every continent except Antarctica but they happen most commonly in Australia. Bushfires cause extensive damage to homes, property, crops and human life but they can also have a positive effect on some plant and animal species. Certain flora that are native to Australia have evolved to rely on bushfires for reproduction and have become an essential part of Australia’s ecology. Some eucalyptus trees, for example, have pods of seeds that split open during a bushfire and spread out causing reproduction of the flora species. Fire also allows for the growth of grass and other shrub like plants. There are four major types of bushfires. They are lightning fires, (caused by lightning creating a spark that lights) volcanic fires, (caused by sparks from rock fall due to volcanic eruptions)