189ha of land destroyed by fire this year
189ha of land destroyed by fire this year
28 July 2017
published by http://www.theborneopost.com
Malaysia – SIBU: Raging fires ravaged 189.13 hectares of land in Sarawak between Jan 1 and July 24 this year in 392 cases of open burning.
State Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) director Nor Hisham Mohammad said bush fire formed the bulk of the cases at 243 affecting seven hectares.
He, however, noted forest fires although accounting for only 20 cases, ravaged 149 hectares. Nor Hisham said there were 13 cases of garden/farm fire that affected 31 hectares while peat land fire recorded one case with fire burning 2.13 hectares.
The highest number of cases of open burning was recorded in June with 66 cases (affecting 0.73 hectares), April 60 cases (54.2 hectares), July 60 cases (one hectare), May 59 cases (30 hectares), Jan 57 cases (56.05 hectares), March 49 cases (12 hectares) and February 41 cases (25.15 hectares), Nor Hisham revealed.
He pointed out that Miri had the highest number of open burning cases. Making comparison with the same period last year, he observed there was reduction in open burning cases.
In 2016, there were 703 cases and 2,344.5 hectares were affected by the fire compared to 392 cases, Nor Hisham pointed out.
Asked on Bombas preparation to face drought in view of the dry weather, he said the department was putting all logistics on standby to face any eventuality.
The public are urged to cooperate by not making any open burning during the hot and dry weather, he advised.
An international team of climate researchers from the US, South Korea and the UK has developed a new wildfire and drought prediction model for southwestern North America. Extending far beyond the current seasonal forecast, this study published in the journal Scientific Reports could benefit the economies with a variety of applications in agriculture, water management and forestry.
Over the past 15 years, California and neighboring regions have experienced heighteneddrought conditions and an increase inwildfire numbers with considerable impacts on human livelihoods, agriculture, and terrestrial ecosystems. This new research shows that in addition to a discernible contribution from natural forcings and human-induced global warming, the large-scale difference between Atlantic and Pacific ocean temperatures plays a fundamental role in causing droughts, and enhancing wildfire risks.
“Our results document that a combination of processes is at work. Through an ensemble modeling approach, we were able to show that without anthropogenic effects, the droughts in the southwestern United States would have been less severe,” says co-author Axel Timmermann, Director of the newly founded IBS Center for Climate Physics, within the Institute for Basics Science (IBS), and Distinguished Professor at Pusan National University in South Korea. “By prescribing the effects of man-made climate change and observed global ocean temperatures, our model can reproduce the observed shifts in weather patterns and wildfire occurrences.”
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-atlanticpacific-ocean-temperature-difference-fuels.html#jCpAn international team of climate researchers from the US, South Korea and the UK has developed a new wildfire and drought prediction model for southwestern North America. Extending far beyond the current seasonal forecast, this study published in the journal Scientific Reports could benefit the economies with a variety of applications in agriculture, water management and forestry.
Over the past 15 years, California and neighboring regions have experienced heighteneddrought conditions and an increase inwildfire numbers with considerable impacts on human livelihoods, agriculture, and terrestrial ecosystems. This new research shows that in addition to a discernible contribution from natural forcings and human-induced global warming, the large-scale difference between Atlantic and Pacific ocean temperatures plays a fundamental role in causing droughts, and enhancing wildfire risks.
“Our results document that a combination of processes is at work. Through an ensemble modeling approach, we were able to show that without anthropogenic effects, the droughts in the southwestern United States would have been less severe,” says co-author Axel Timmermann, Director of the newly founded IBS Center for Climate Physics, within the Institute for Basics Science (IBS), and Distinguished Professor at Pusan National University in South Korea. “By prescribing the effects of man-made climate change and observed global ocean temperatures, our model can reproduce the observed shifts in weather patterns and wildfire occurrences.”
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-atlanticpacific-ocean-temperature-difference-fuels.html#jCp
