ESCI 1012 Study Guide - Industrial Revolution, Carbon Cycle, Tornado Watch
9 May 2013
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Factors that lead to wildfires: fuel (burning cellulose, ladder fuels, crown fire), weather (dry, windy, climate change), topography (funneling in canyons, accelerate fire, rapid spreading, rapidly upslope) Ladder fuels: low hanging brush and branches that climb up trees. Causes of ignition: lightning, prescribed burns, radiation, convection, firebrands or burning embers carried in wind. Fighting fires: smokejumpers, bulldozers and firebreaks, water or fire retardant, firefighters and fire lines. Long-term effects of wildfires: erosion, hydrocarbon residue, water runoff in hydrophobic soils, flash floods or debris flows, air pollution. Mitigation: planting vegetation, shrubs and trees, slopes being seeded, tubes of straw to provide barriers. Approaches to managing fires: prescribed burns, advanced evacuation, public policy and zoning requirements, insurance. Evacuation: wear wool or cotton, listen to radio, put important things in car, no legal law saying people have to evacuate, do it in advance. Public policy: zoning restrictions, insurance companies, fema helping people relocate.
