New CRC research papers have been made available this month.
A/Prof Trent Penman from the University of Melbourne and his team from the Threshold conditions for extreme fire behaviour projecthave published a report with the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC on the development of a custom-made Radiative Heat Flux Apparatus. The Apparatus been used for some preliminary heat flux experiments by the project team to experimentally test the spontaneous ignition of vertically positioned wood samples, which are subjected to both static and dynamic heat fluxes.
A/Prof Penman has also published a paper on the advances of Bayesian network modelling, which was featured in Environmental Modelling & Software. The paper reviews how Bayesian network modelling is being integrated into management decisions and structural equation modelling.
Improvements to wind field generation is the topic of Dr Khalid Moinuddin’s (Victoria University) paper published by the Bushfire and Natural Hazard CRC. The paper discusses the advances in computer hardware and how it has increased the availability of electronic topographical data. The paper is part of the Fire spread predictions across fuel types project, which is working on introducing a method in physics-based models such as Fire Dynamics Simulator to perform fire simulations.
Dr Jess Weir (University of Western Sydney) and Dr Timothy Neale (Deakin University) who make up the Hazards, culture and Indigenous communitiesproject, have had their paper published online. The paper reviews how CANZUS countries: Canada; Australia; New Zealand and the United States have engaged with their respective Indigenous communities. The paper also reviews existing academic literature to categorise the origins of recent and present engagements and then identify and elaborate on the key rationales informing how natural hazard management agencies interact with Indigenous peoples.
Dr Imtiaz Dharssi and Vinod Kumar from the Bureau of Meteorology have had their paper on wildfire prediction and management published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. The paper assess the evaluation and calibration of a high-resolution soil moisture product, which will provide high-resolution, land surface modelling based, state-of-the-art soil moisture analyses for Australia.
Dr Joanne Pyke (Victoria University) has published her report about diversity and inclusion in the emergency services sector. Dr Pyke conducted three case studies with communities from Paramatta, Bendigo and Bordertown as part of her contribution to the Diversity and inclusion: building strength and capability project. The survey prompted residents in each community to reflect on their realities of dealing with emergency services and how inclusive and diverse they are.
Completed PhD student Grigorijs Goldbergs has had his paper featured in the International Journal of Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation. The paper analyses the limitations of high resolution satellite stereo imagery for estimating canopy height in Australian tropical savannas, and the testing that has been done to compare the completeness and vertical accuracy of extracted canopy height models.
Researchers from the Flood risk communication project have conducted a systematic review of the risks, behaviour and mitigation of driving through floodwater and published their findings in the International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. The paper compares and documents the magnitude of the problem internationally by identifying the risk factors; exploring the application of theories and presence of theoretical models to explain people's behaviour.
The research team from the Cost-effective mitigation strategy for building related earthquake riskproject have discussed using a diagonal steel-shape memory alloy bracing device to assist with seismic retrofitting. The paper analyses the biomass, carbon and nitrogen held in vegetation and soil in unburnt and burnt condition. The data collected from the field has been used in modelling efforts by the broader research team.
A/Prof Tina Bell and Dr Malcolm Possell (University of Sydney), who work on the Optimisation of fuel reduction burning regimes project, have published their paper on fuel reduction burning. The paper conducted sampling across nine different field sties to gather evidence to use for modelling to quantify fuel strata in forests.
A case study on CRC research into community animal preparedness measures during emergencies by Dr Mel Taylor, Dr Megan McCarthy (Macquarie University) and Jenny Bigelow (Blue ARC) has also featured in the Australian Journal or Emergency Management. The paper analyses a survey in the Blue Mountains, where residents list the actions that they take for their pets as they prepare and respond to an emergency, and reports the findings about inclusion of the types of animals and the diversity of situations that communities may be involved in.
Several annual and final reports from the CRC’s core research program have also been made available this month.
Dr Blythe McLennan (RMIT University) and Dr Patrick Dunlop (University of Western Australia), who lead the Enabling sustainable emergency volunteering project, have published their annual report. The report discusses the expectations that communities and governments have on emergency management organisations to actively enable and enhance the value of volunteering for communities with respect to building community capability and resilience.
Dr Scott Nichol from Geoscience Australia has published the final report for the Resilience to clustered disaster events on the coast - storm surgeproject, which began its utilisation focus in June 2018. Dr Nichols discusses the effects of coastal erosion, flooding and storms and how the consequences of individual events are therefore exacerbated with little or no opportunity for recovery of natural systems or communities.
Dr Briony Towers (RMIT University) and Dr Kevin Ronan (CQUniversity) have published their latest research from theChild-centred disaster risk reductionproject, which is linking the principles in the UNISDR to communities in Australia. The project uses case studies to evaluate the benefits of students learning about disaster risk reduction in their schools.
The Mapping bushfire hazard and impacts project, led by Dr Marta Yebra at ANU have published their report, which focuses on the complexities and scientific challenges involved with mapping bushfires. The project, which has entered into a research and utilisation focus, has developed the Australian Flammability Monitoring System, which can track the soil moisture content in highly flammable fuels.
A/Prof Chris Bearman from CQUniversity and his team from the Improving decision-making in complex multi-team environmentsproject have published their annual project report on how they are providing practical outcomes and tools that can help emergency managers make better informed decisions and manage teams more effectively in an emergency.
Project leader Prof Ross Bradstock from the University of Wollongong has published the annual report for the Delivering effective prescribed burning across Australian ecosystems project. The report covers the effectiveness of prescribed burning and risk mitigation across a range of treatment levels, management values and landscapes, by placing them on a common baseline of risk.
Dr Ilona McNeill from The University of Melbourne has published her annual project report on planning and preparedness measures for individuals during natural hazards. Dr McNeill leads the Improving the role of hazard communications in increasing residents’ preparedness and response planningproject, which has addressed several problem statements within the context of bushfires and floods.
The team from the Improved decision support for natural hazard risk reductionproject have also published their annual report. The project investigates the adaptation scenarios that are being used to better inform and model decision making with quantitative tools by working with multiple government agencies.