Firebug mother jailed for 13 years
Mountain areas face more bushfires
8 April 2009
published by www.abc.net.au
Australia — American scientists have mapped bushfires for the first time across the globe, to find a way to predict future hotspots.
In a journal paper, the scientists identified key common characteristics of bushfires.
The information was then used alongside climate models to find out which regions in the world would experience more bushfires because of climate change.
Study author and atmospheric scientist Katharine Hayhoe say mountainous areas, including Victoria’s high country, are likely to experience more fire.
“That’s because not only because those places could become hotter and drier, but a lot of their moisture comes from snow,” she says.
“And we know that as temperatures warm, snow is melting faster and earlier in the spring, and there is not as much of it.”
