The Australian wildfires have been a cause for concern since the start of 2020. These fires, which have become less of a prominent issue, were occurring all around the island. The state of New South Wales was hit the hardest, losing over 1,500 homes and damaging 650.
Although these fires have been extremely disastrous, fires occur every year in Australia during their summers. These fires are usually caused by a lightning strike that hits a dry patch of land. Humans are also to blame — some Australians have intentionally started bushfires.
The fires this past year were worse than ever because of global warming. Australia experienced a horrible drought last year, which led to an increase in fires.
Australia is known to have incredibly vast biodiversity. However, the fires have killed about a billion of Australia’s unique species. Almost 100 threatened species continue to be on the brink of extinction. The burnt environment is still a problem long after the Australian fires. The koala population has declined by 30% in New South Wales, and many other common species are in trouble as well. Biologists are hoping that the remaining animals will be able to rebuild the population. Rainforests, marshes, and wet eucalyptus forests were up in flames as well, burning rare species of trees. Furthermore, the fires have led to habitat fragmentation, which is when a habitat is broken into smaller habitats, isolating the organisms from each other.
In February, heavy downpours extinguished the fires. However, it washed large amounts of soot and ash into several water sources, which causes problems for the marine ecosystem. Toxic tides and the death of various oceanic species are predicted to be the outcomes of the catastrophic event. The soot that enters the aquatic ecosystems can bioaccumulate within the aquatic organisms. This affects the ecosystems greatly as well as the fishing industry. Not only this but as humans are exposed to particulate matter, it can lead to various respiratory issues. Although the wildfires have been pushed aside in the news
for some time now, it is important to understand
the aftermath of the fires.
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