Category: Earth/Climate science

How Single-Family Zoning Is Driving Wildfire Vulnerabilities in Northern California

How Single-Family Zoning Is Driving Wildfire Vulnerabilities in Northern California

01/05/20

“Why is extremely single-family zoning in Northern California a resilience threat?”

When the city of San Francisco becomes a topic of conversation, images of the Golden Gate Bridge, sourdough bread, and brightly-colored Victorians often pop into people’s heads. However, the policies that allow for the last part is also strangling Northern California itself. Strict single-family zoning in urban areas forces municipalities to become much less dense. If these towns or cities become economic hotspots such as in the Bay Area, then prices near job centers will rise and people have to build outwards and further away to find a place to live. This phenomenon has pushed people into the wildland-urban interface, making it more likely for fires to start and more difficult for people to cope with the effects of climate change. This is How Single-Family Zoning Is Driving Wildfire Vulnerabilities in Northern California.

Why Do Transmission Line Failure Cause a Disproportionate Amount of the Wildfires in California

Why Do Transmission Line Failure Cause a Disproportionate Amount of the Wildfires in California

12/30/19

“Why is it that transmission line failures cause ten times more wildfires than they should in California?”

Transmission line failures have the ability to start wildfires, as in the case of Paradise. However, In California, while these accidents are responsible for starting only around 1% of fires they cause 10% of all damage (Mitchell, 2013)! This is because these transmission lines failures are more likely to occur during periods of high winds and low humidity, which are ripe for wildfires. So when they do occur, they’re much more likely to spin out of control. This is Why Transmission Line Failure Cause a Disproportionate Amount of the Wildfires in California.

Image credit https://cdn.theatlantic.com/

References:

Mitchell, J. W. (2013). Power line failures and catastrophic wildfires under extreme weather conditions. Engineering Failure Analysis, 35, 726–735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2013.07.006

Why Wildfires Move From Treetop to Treetop

Why Wildfires Move From Treetop to Treetop

12/27/19

“Why is it that wildfires will move from treetop to treetop?”

Wildfires are some of the most powerful dangerous in areas with Mediterranean climates. However, How exactly do they physically spread? Well, Let’s think about this like an engineer would. We know that fire can spread very quickly when one object touches an inflamed object. And we also know that the parts of an object that protrude the most are the most likely to come into contact with others. So when it comes to trees spreading fire, it would be logical for the treetop to spread fire to other treetops as those are the parts that bend the most outward. This is Why Wildfires Move From Treetop to Treetop.

Image credit ichef.bbci.co.uk

Atmospheric Rivers

Atmospheric Rivers

12/24/19

“How can there be flying rivers of water?”

Rain is usually delivered through means of water vapor held in clouds dissipating. By coastal areas, water can build up in the atmosphere from evaporation from the ocean and then move landside where it can hit elevation, become colder, and then burst and create serious downpours. These Atmospheric Rivers can give up words of over 50% of California’s annual rainwater.

Image credit http://www.frontiersin.org

Why Mediterranean Climates Are More Prone to Wildfires

Why Mediterranean Climates Are More Prone to Wildfires

12/21/19

“Why are Mediterranean climates more prone to wildfires?”

Mediterranean regions are world-renowned for their natural beauty, temperate climates, and mellow settings. These zones usually start the year with a short, mild, and moist winter season followed by a long, warm dry, summer season. This means that a lot of foliage grows when it rains and then dies when the rain stops. This abundance of fuel in hot and dry conditions makes the perfect ingredient for wildfires to occur, which is Why Mediterranean Climates Are More Prone to Wildfires. This will only become more intense with the advent of climate change, as the Winter season is becoming shorter and wetter and the Summer longer and drier.

Wildfire Safety Zones

Wildfire Safety Zones

12/20/19

“Where can firefighters take shelter while fighting a wildfire?”

Firefighters have very difficult jobs. They have to respond to catastrophic emergencies at a moment’s notice, even if it means waking up in the middle of a night and rushing hours to the site. This can be especially difficult when fighting large-scale wildfires, which can go on for days and even weeks and take up enough land to fill a country. As a result, they will need time to rest during operations. To do this, they must seek out Wildfire Safety Zones which can provide refuge from the blaze and allow the firefighters to survive without being injured from exposure to the radiant and convective heat from the fire, and would not have to deploy and enter a fire shelter.

Why Planting Native Trees Can Build Resilience to Wildfires

Why Planting Native Trees Can Build Resilience to Wildfires

12/18/19

“How can we build resilience to wildfires by simply planting trees that are native to the local ecosystem?”

Wildfires and how to build resilience against them are some of the hottest topics in areas with Mediterranean climates. Much of the time techniques using built infrastructure are proposed, such as building microgrids or housing with new flame-resilient materials. However, one of the most effective methods can be one does not require a single wire or piece of concrete. Due to globalism and colonialization, many Mediterranean climates contain invasive species of trees that are more likely to burn. By replacing these with tree species that are adapted to the local climate and are more resistant to burning, we can decrease the intensity of burnable fuel in an area and achieve better Wildfire resilience. This is Why Planting Native Trees Can Build Resilience to Wildfires.

Short-Term Climate Refugees

Short-Term Climate Refugees

12/04/19

“How are people temporarily displaces from their homes because of climate change?”

Climate change is making environmental disasters larger and stronger than ever before. Whether it be the fires raging in Northern California or the Hurricanes blasting Puerto Rico, things are definitely not what they used to be. This can cause locations to be temporarily uninhabitable, and only after infrastructure reaches a certain level of repair can these Short-Term Climate Refugees return to their home. An example of this can be found in Hurricane Katrina, where numerous families from New Orleans had to spend extended time outside of the city before returning.

Image credit static01.nyt.com

Wildfire Fuel

Wildfire Fuel

12/02/19

“What causes wildfires to occur?”

Wildfires can devastate communities and are only becoming a more pertinent problem with the advent of climate change. But what exactly is the primary factor for their spread? Well, just like parasites need a host to grow, fires need substances to burn. This Wildfire Fuel often comes in the form of trees, bushes, grass, and other burnable vegetative material that wildfire fuel managers have to contend with.