In a striking visual representation of the ongoing wildfire crisis in Australia’s Northern Territory, Earth observation scientist Robbi Bishop-Taylor from Geoscience Australia shared a timelapse animation of the crisis on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The animation illustrates the shocking extent of the fire-ravaged area that has been ablaze for the past two months. So far it has engulfed a staggering 12.8 million hectares (31.6 million acres) of land in just a two-month period. As recently as the last week, the Queensland residents faced evacuation orders due to crisis posed by the raging wildfires.
Why wildfires continue to rage on?
The El Niño weather event triggers extreme phenomena such as wildfires. Northern Australia has also experienced scorching temperatures, prompting severe heatwave warnings in certain areas. The dry and warm conditions provide ideal circumstances for the ignition and rapid spread of fires.
The risk is further escalated by above-average rainfall earlier in the year, leading to increased vegetation that becomes potential fuel for the fires. As the soil dries out under intense heat, the vegetation becomes highly flammable, intensifying the ease with which fires can ignite and spread across. This combination of factors has created a perilous situation in northern parts of Australia, leading to a surge in fires, some suspected to be deliberately lit. The environmental and communal impact in the region has been devastating.
Fire season in Northern Hemisphere
The crisis in Australia follows a catastrophic fire season in the Northern Hemisphere, marked by record-breaking temperatures fueled by human-induced climate change. As heatwaves swept across Asia, Europe, and North America, experts predict that 2023 may become the hottest year on record. In Europe, wildfires emitted a staggering 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Italy faced an unprecedented heatwave while Greece went through a period of worst wildfire on record.
Source: WION