National Severe Storms Laboratory Seminar Series presents...
The recent bushfires and extreme heat wave in south-east Australia: Links to climate change?
David Karoly
School of Earth Sciences
University of Melbourne, Australia
12 May 2009, 3:30 PM
National Weather Center, Room 1313
120 David L. Boren Blvd.
University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK
Directions to the NWC (.pdf, 60 kb)
On 7 February 2009, Australia experienced its worst natural disaster in 150 years, when bushfires near Melbourne killed more than 170 people and destroyed more than 1800 homes. The factors affecting the bushfire conditions will be described, including the long-term drought, the unprecedented heatwave in late January, and the second heatwave and synoptic conditions on 7 February. On that day, Melbourne had a new all-time record maximum temperature of 46.4°C, a record low relative humidity of 5% (even though it is on the coast), and a record 35 preceding days with no rain. The possible role of climate change on these different factors will be discussed, together with future prospects for wild fires in southeast Australia and other parts of the world.
If you can’t make the seminar, you can read about it at
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php/archives/2009/02/bushfires-and-climate/