April 29, 2024

Western Australia’s Fiery Forecast: Combating Bushfires With Controlled Burns

The smoke is visible in this image, acquired on April 23, 2023, with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Aqua satellite. The majority of sources of smoke in the MODIS image matched the areas of recommended burns noted on a map by Emergency WA.
Summertime and early fall 2022– 2023 were drier than usual, according to Western Australias Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). In mid-autumn, numerous rains set the phase for recommended burning to start. By the end of April, lots of blazes were burning across the states southwest.
Recommended burns are meant to lower the accumulation of combustible fuels and reduce the severity of bushfires, according to DBCAs Parks and Wildlife Service. They can likewise be performed with the intent to preserve biodiversity, or to fix up plant life after the land has actually been disrupted.
The fires were planned with meteorological conditions in mind, winds can still bring the smoke far from the source. In this view, winds moved the smoke plumes towards the southeast, and in some cases over the Indian Ocean.
Not every fire in this image was planned. Smoke from a fire burning near the Lake Muir Nature Reserve (toward the bottom of the image) is likely a bushfire, situated simply south of a prescribed burn. The Parks and Wildlife Service issued a smoke alert for the location warning of lowered visibility and possible health effects for people with cardiovascular or breathing illnesses.
Stefan de Haan of DBCA said in a declaration: “We thank the community for their understanding where smoke might affect inhabited areas at times over coming weeks and advise people to slow down, turn on headlights and drive thoroughly if smoke is affecting exposure on the roads.”
NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, utilizing MODIS information from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview.

Satellite image obtained on April 23, 2023, using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASAs Aqua satellite.
Wet weather condition set the phase for prescribed burning to increase through April 2023 in the states southwest, near Perth.
In April 2023, increased rains allowed prescribed burning in southwest Australia to keep and alleviate bushfire threats biodiversity. Wind-carried smoke can lead to lowered visibility and health threats for vulnerable populations.
Bushfire season in southern Australia runs through summer and fall. As the 2022– 2023 fire season neared its end, smoke filled the skies south of Perth. Many of it, however, put from fires that had actually been ignited purposefully.

As the 2022– 2023 fire season neared its end, smoke filled the skies south of Perth. Summertime and early autumn 2022– 2023 were drier than normal, according to Western Australias Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA). Smoke from a fire burning near the Lake Muir Nature Reserve (toward the bottom of the image) is most likely a bushfire, situated just south of a recommended burn. The Parks and Wildlife Service provided a smoke alert for the area warning of lowered exposure and potential health impacts for individuals with cardiovascular or respiratory illnesses.