Characterizing Spatial and Temporal Variability of Lightning Activity Associated with Wildfire over Tasmania, Australia
Lightning strikes are pervasive, however, their distributions vary both spatially and in time, resulting in a complex pattern of lightning-ignited wildfires. Over the last decades, lightning-ignited wildfires have become an increasing threat in south-east Australia. Lightning in combination with dro...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Fire |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/4/1/10 |
| _version_ | 1797415821079740416 |
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| author | Haleh Nampak Peter Love Paul Fox-Hughes Christopher Watson Jagannath Aryal Rebecca M. B. Harris |
| author_facet | Haleh Nampak Peter Love Paul Fox-Hughes Christopher Watson Jagannath Aryal Rebecca M. B. Harris |
| author_sort | Haleh Nampak |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Lightning strikes are pervasive, however, their distributions vary both spatially and in time, resulting in a complex pattern of lightning-ignited wildfires. Over the last decades, lightning-ignited wildfires have become an increasing threat in south-east Australia. Lightning in combination with drought conditions preceding the fire season can increase probability of sustained ignitions. In this study, we investigate spatial and seasonal patterns in cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in the island state of Tasmania using data from the Global Position and Tracking System (GPATS) for the period January 2011 to June 2019. The annual number of lightning strikes and the ratio of negative to positive lightning (78:22 overall) were considerably different from one year to the next. There was an average of 80 lightning days per year, however, 50% of lightning strikes were concentrated over just four days. Most lightning strikes were observed in the west and north of the state consistent with topography and wind patterns. We searched the whole population of lightning strikes for those most likely to cause wildfires up to 72 h before fire detection and within 10 km of the ignition point derived from in situ fire ignition records. Only 70% of lightning ignitions were matched up with lightning records. The lightning ignition efficiency per stroke/flash was also estimated, showing an annual average efficiency of 0.24% ignition per lightning stroke with a seasonal maximum during summer. The lightning ignition efficiency as a function of different fuel types also highlighted the role of buttongrass moorland (0.39%) in wildfire incidents across Tasmania. Understanding lightning climatology provides vital information about lightning characteristics that influence the probability that an individual stroke causes ignition over a particular landscape. This research provides fire agencies with valuable information to minimize the potential impacts of lightning-induced wildfires through early detection and effective response. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:54:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-33880dad626140459955655d12380396 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2571-6255 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T05:54:06Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Fire |
| spelling | doaj.art-33880dad626140459955655d123803962023-12-03T12:14:35ZengMDPI AGFire2571-62552021-03-01411010.3390/fire4010010Characterizing Spatial and Temporal Variability of Lightning Activity Associated with Wildfire over Tasmania, AustraliaHaleh Nampak0Peter Love1Paul Fox-Hughes2Christopher Watson3Jagannath Aryal4Rebecca M. B. Harris5School of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaSchool of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaBureau of Meteorology, Hobart, Tasmania 7000, AustraliaSchool of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaDepartment of Infrastructure Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and IT, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, AustraliaSchool of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, AustraliaLightning strikes are pervasive, however, their distributions vary both spatially and in time, resulting in a complex pattern of lightning-ignited wildfires. Over the last decades, lightning-ignited wildfires have become an increasing threat in south-east Australia. Lightning in combination with drought conditions preceding the fire season can increase probability of sustained ignitions. In this study, we investigate spatial and seasonal patterns in cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in the island state of Tasmania using data from the Global Position and Tracking System (GPATS) for the period January 2011 to June 2019. The annual number of lightning strikes and the ratio of negative to positive lightning (78:22 overall) were considerably different from one year to the next. There was an average of 80 lightning days per year, however, 50% of lightning strikes were concentrated over just four days. Most lightning strikes were observed in the west and north of the state consistent with topography and wind patterns. We searched the whole population of lightning strikes for those most likely to cause wildfires up to 72 h before fire detection and within 10 km of the ignition point derived from in situ fire ignition records. Only 70% of lightning ignitions were matched up with lightning records. The lightning ignition efficiency per stroke/flash was also estimated, showing an annual average efficiency of 0.24% ignition per lightning stroke with a seasonal maximum during summer. The lightning ignition efficiency as a function of different fuel types also highlighted the role of buttongrass moorland (0.39%) in wildfire incidents across Tasmania. Understanding lightning climatology provides vital information about lightning characteristics that influence the probability that an individual stroke causes ignition over a particular landscape. This research provides fire agencies with valuable information to minimize the potential impacts of lightning-induced wildfires through early detection and effective response.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/4/1/10lightning activityTasmaniawildfireignition efficiency |
| spellingShingle | Haleh Nampak Peter Love Paul Fox-Hughes Christopher Watson Jagannath Aryal Rebecca M. B. Harris Characterizing Spatial and Temporal Variability of Lightning Activity Associated with Wildfire over Tasmania, Australia Fire lightning activity Tasmania wildfire ignition efficiency |
| title | Characterizing Spatial and Temporal Variability of Lightning Activity Associated with Wildfire over Tasmania, Australia |
| title_full | Characterizing Spatial and Temporal Variability of Lightning Activity Associated with Wildfire over Tasmania, Australia |
| title_fullStr | Characterizing Spatial and Temporal Variability of Lightning Activity Associated with Wildfire over Tasmania, Australia |
| title_full_unstemmed | Characterizing Spatial and Temporal Variability of Lightning Activity Associated with Wildfire over Tasmania, Australia |
| title_short | Characterizing Spatial and Temporal Variability of Lightning Activity Associated with Wildfire over Tasmania, Australia |
| title_sort | characterizing spatial and temporal variability of lightning activity associated with wildfire over tasmania australia |
| topic | lightning activity Tasmania wildfire ignition efficiency |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-6255/4/1/10 |
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