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THE UK National Environmental Research Council has awarded £64,000 to researchers at Swansea University to examine the environmental impact of the recent wildfires near Melbourne, Australia.
Dr Stefan Doerr and Dr Rick Shakesby of the University’s Institute of Environmental Sustainability, will work in collaboration with Melbourne University to study how the extreme fire severity affected the vegetation and soil system in the area.
The research findings, due to be made available later this year, will be of particular use to research communities and policy makers, including those responsible for forest fuel management.
The study will examine the unprecedented burning conditions during the February wildfires – described as Australia’s worst natural disaster – and the pollution risk that the fires pose to Melbourne’s water supply system.
Dr Doerr added: ‘Such severe wildfires are expected to become more common through human activity and global warming, so we urgently need to capture data in order to more accurately predict their environmental impact’.
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