Weather where you are?

chrisk said:
Got as far as Parkes, 930klms.
Fecking hot on bike.... B?jesus. Should make Gippsland tomorrow
Click to expand...

Gippsland??!! Some serious fires in that part of the state - along with other places. Nasty nasty nasty stuff happening in our little country.
 
Another warm windy day here, with smoke in the air.

A friend of mine often listens to police radio. She said there's been reports of a bloke on a green trail bike (Kawasaki?) who's been seen lighting fires around the Hobart area. Cops have been trying to catch him for a couple of weeks. He'd better hope the cops get him before any of the locals do.  >:(
 
Canadian news is following the Australian weather/fire situation with extensive reporting. Lots of news right now about the plight not only of the people but of many of the creatures, very sad.

Here in western Canada, weather reports indicate a "polar vortex" descending, will apparently hit well below minus 30 Celsius next several days.

Paul LeClair
 
We struck one of those "polar vortex" in Tasmania in mid-Novermber or what used to be called Spring down here in the southern hemisphere. Not as nuts as a Canadian one, only 2c. Bad enough for us spring chickens. Cannot tell if we have bushfire smoke or just a standard grey day in Sydney, I think the later as it smells ok for a change
 
The loss of wild life is more upsetting to me than the loss of houses and infrastructure. Numbers like a billion animals/birds etc are gone. The lucky fuckers that survived the fires by burrowing under ground emerge to find a blacken dead landscape with nothing to eat so starvation will kill them.
It really is tragic.
I went for a ride out through the back blocks where our forrest dept had a so called controlled burn about 4 months ago and found the same blackened landscape. I stopped for a piss and didn't see any life. Can remember the mushroom like cloud that appeared in the sky and thinking that was a hot burn. Seeing it from my own eyes I was discussed what they'd done.
They're in charge of looking after our environment and as usual they fucked up again.
 
Drove from Cudlee Creek up to the Bakery in Lobethal to get some bread (funny about that) this afternoon; the landscape is totally burnt out with destroyed properties everywhere. Over the last few weeks this has become the norm for me but what wasn't the norm were the sightseers cruising at 40kph and stopping to take photos of the devastation. Had to retreat back home before I strangled somebody and ended up in deep shit.
 
motoddrob said:
The loss of wild life is more upsetting to me than the loss of houses and infrastructure. Numbers like a billion animals/birds etc are gone. The lucky fuckers that survived the fires by burrowing under ground emerge to find a blacken dead landscape with nothing to eat so starvation will kill them.
It really is tragic.

I know, it is something that I find astounding that in Australia we seem to only count ourselves and our property as relevant, I think that may all change after these fires though.
The true cost of these fires is beyond our comprehension I feel.
:(
Click to expand...
 
Paul LeClair said:
Canadian news is following the Australian weather/fire situation with extensive reporting. Lots of news right now about the plight not only of the people but of many of the creatures, very sad.

Here in western Canada, weather reports indicate a "polar vortex" descending, will apparently hit well below minus 30 Celsius next several days.

Paul LeClair
Click to expand...

Supposed to hit minus 40 in central BC where I live. Of course it is my fault as I'm not there to plough the snow or haul more firewood.

Jim
 
Too true about the wildlife loss and its consequences. I heard a professor of environmental science or some such who has studied in great depth the efficacy of cold or controlled burns. Window of opportunity diminishing considerably every year aside, he said the evidence is clear that it is patently ineffective and very damaging, especially over the long term. I'm going to try and find it as a podcast and relisten, because I can't remember the details and I was very impressed by the fact-based explanations he gave.

I keep seeing the old heads arguing that the fires are worse and harder to control because we don't have enough controlled burns but it simply isn't true. Maybe close to towns, but then an ember attack 10km ahead of a fire storm is probably going to negate the effects of controlled burns. And how do you do a controlled burn on an area the size of Denmark - and expanding by the hour.
 
Was that guy name Kimberly Dixon by any chance Q ?
I've also read a little bit about controlled burns and now the science is saying that it's more destructive to the environment. They like to burn here every 7-10 years which isn't long enough for the bush to regenerate fully.
Apparently where the fires have burned into bush that hasn't been burned for many decades it has slowed the fires down. I see it in my own bush where I've cleared around the house the moister that's in the humus. Burn that humus and you end up with dry earth along with killing all the insects that live in it breaking down all the leaf/sticks and limb litter that collects.
Leaf and limb matter doesn't stop falling and there's nothing left to break it down, the ground is dry and you have a major fire hazard.

 
Your point about the mulch is normally effective Rob. However the extreme temperatures this summer has brought in Australia has totally dried even old wet forest areas through their mulch and even into the soil. So that even these forests that have never burned before went up like kindling. The blackfellas had been doing burns long before whitefella came and wrecked the place, but apparently they didn't have 49 degree spring weather.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top