syllabus

• Spatial technology: any technology that allows the collection, management and analysis of spatial information.
• advantages of spatial technology

  o   Recording and storing information

  o   Identifying and investigating spatial patterns

  o   Presenting and communicating information and findings
• remote sensing:

  • Allows data to be collected about the Earth without being in contact 
  • Provide information of the daily weather, oceanographic info, land use, fuel levels for fires
  • Infrared scanners track local bushfires
• Geographic Information System (GIS)

  • Computer based mapping software system
  • Allow users to collect, store and analyse data linked to Earth 
  • Data is represented as layers of info, which can be queried to help users understand patterns, relationships and geographical context.
• Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

  • Network of satellites that circle the Earth
  • Provides info about its location on Earth
• characteristics of a bush fire

  • Flame height: height can vary due to fuel load and type of vegetation it is burning
  • Flame length: fire authorities measure the length of a fire from the front to the point of ignition.
  • Flame depth: the width of continuous flames.
  • Rate of speed: wind speed and direction, humidity, moisture content within fuels and the topography gradient influences the fire spread rate. Strong winds can also increase the rate of a speeds fire and possibly change its direction to a new fire front.
• causes of a bushfire: require fuel, ignition source (heat) and oxygen (wind) to occur
• Human causes of a bushfire: arsonists' premeditated activities as well as exposure to bare flames from cigarettes, BBQs, campfires, and damaged electricity poles and lines.
• natural cases of a bushfire: mostly lightning strikes, which account for more than half of all ignitions in Australia
• spatial distribution of bushfires:

  • Regular wildfire activity occurs in areas with drier climates, such as the Mediterranean and placed with prolonged dry seasons
• temporal distribution of bushfires:

  • The number of bushfires is much higher during the summer and dry seasons (December, January, and February).
• those in LDC are more vulnerable to bushfires as they experience much more difficulty to recover due to effects on food security, peoples health, biodiversity and water resources
• LDC are more vulnerable to bushfires due to their geography
• Data indicates up to 70% of lightning strikes occur between the tropics. The tropics are conductive to thunderstorms meaning countries located between the tropics (LDC) are more likely to be struck by lightning.
• LDC rely on foreign aid during severe bushfires as they lack the funds to prevent, fight and recover from them
• Black Summer 2019/2020

  • Magnitude: exceeded to 100,000kW/m^2. flame heights up to 60m
  • Duration: beginning in NSW September 2019 with last fire of season in WA May 2020
  • Frequency: NSW had the longest wildfire, lasting for 240 days in a row
  • Probability: extremely high
  • Scale: 18 million hectares were burned across all states and territories
• causes of Black Summer bushfires

  • 2019 was Australia's warmest and driest year on record
  • Rainfall was 40% lower than the national average, while temperatures were 1.5 degrees Celsius higher
  • Lightning was a primary igniting source
  • Some fires originated as a result of ember spotting. Embers are the burned twigs, leaves, or debris
• Building in bushfire-prone areas, leaving during a fire, planting eucalypt trees and other vegetation close to infrastructure, and inadequate preparation and planning are examples of activities that intensify impact of blaze. 
• 2 hazard risk management strategies

  1. Ignition prevention - total fire bans, maintenance and upgrading of electrical poles as well as education programs which are vital to mitigate before the onset of an extreme fire day.
  2. Community bushfire preparedness - household preparations, bushfire emergency plans and fire danger levels so that a community can cope with a bushfire event.
• Virus: is an infection microbe built of a chain of protein strands DNA/RNA. Viruses are parasitic, as they cannot live outside of their host. e.g. Ebola, measles, HIV, influenza.

  • Characteristics: sub microscopic in size, only live for short time, can have both living and non-living characteristics
• Bacteria: are microscopic living single celled organisms.

  • Characteristics: no nucleus or membrane bound organelles, instead, control centre containing genetic info is contained in single loop of DNA. 
• Parasite: A parasite is an organism that lives on or in a host organism and gets its food from or at the expense of its host.

  • Characteristics: Parasites are usually smaller than their host and use both invertebrate and vertebrate hosts.
• MALARIA: Mosquito borne tropical infectious disease, symptoms appear 10-15 days after infected bite, symptoms include: fever, headache, chills, sweating, muscle fatigue, nausea, and vomiting.
• spatial distribution of malaria: Regions close to equator, malaria is transmitted year round
• temporal distribution of malaria: Transmission typically happens at dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active
• Malaria:

  • Magnitude: in the last 10 years, West Africa accounted for just over a quarter of global malaria cases and up to 30% of global malaria deaths
  • Duration and frequency: ongoing, with the region reporting malaria cases every year, all year round in each country
  • Probability: the West Africa region has high probability of malaria infection
  • Scale of spatial impact: country wide cases and deaths, the scale of spatial impact in West Africa is regional, with localised national variations
• • A plasmodium parasite causes malaria 
  • There are over 100 different species of plasmodium parasites which can cause disease in various animal species, however only 5 that can affect humans
  • Plasmodium falciparum is the most prevalent and lethal of the five species accounting for greater than 75 per cent of infections and 98 per cent of malaria related deaths
• social and economic impacts of malaria

  • Social impacts: estimated that 50% of population in Nigeria will suffer from at least one attack of malaria each year. Children under age of five will average 2-4 infections annually.
  • Economic impacts: the total negative impact of malaria results in a strain being placed on national economies, often reducing the GDP on average by 5-6%. Is estimated that overall economic cost of malaria is US$12 bullion per year in Africa
• environmental impacts of malaria

  • Environmental impacts: no direct negative impacts however strategies implemented to prevent and mitigate the effects of malaria can have negative effects on the environment. Examples include insecticides as they cause toxic residues in agricultural food production, water, air and soil. They can impact insects that are not targeted, and impact food webs associated with them.
• 2 hazard risk management strategies for malaria

  • Indoor residual spraying (IRS): used in areas where native anopheles mosquitoes have endophilic preferences. A coating of insecticide is sprayed onto the walls and internal roof structure where mosquitoes will rest
  • Vaccinations: 2019 saw world first malaria vaccine. It showed significant reduction in malaria and severe malaria young African children. In recent years it has showed 70% efficiency