Earths Water

Daily Review #5Define pathogen, point and nonpoint pollutionDescribe 3 ways we can/do decrease water pollutionGive an example of point and nonpoint pollutionWhy should we be concerned about the ocean when we live thousands of miles from it?

EndDesalinizationProcessDistillationReverse osmosisEnergy intensive

2011, 15,988 desalination plants operated worldwide, producing 66.5 million cubic meters per day, providing water for 300 million people.[4]Production is expected to reach 120 million m3by 2020

2Fire TrianglesFuel Heat OxygenFire BehaviorTopographyWeatherFuels

3All fires need fuel (vegetation or buildings), heat source and oxygen (wind)Fire behavior is effected by 3 major things that will determine how hot the fire burns and how much of the landscape it burns and/or destroysTopography slope of the terrain, fire moves up slope faster and has longer flames on level ground due to hot gases rising in front of the flames and preheating the pathWeather mainly wind, fans the flames adding oxygen to the fire, causes it to change direction and possibly skip to other parts of the landscapeFuels: mainly vegetation, have to be dry in order to sustain a fire, the drier the more rapidly a fire can spread, less than 13% moisture will cause rapid spread, greater than 24% will result in little spread of fire (kiln dried wood has 12% moisture), fuels can also create pathways for fire to burn (ladder fuels), shrubs and smaller trees provide a pathway for a fire to reach the tree tops and burn through a forest in that manner, but if only small grasses there is no way for a fire to burn up to the canopy usually, soil moisture can also effect how moist fuels sources areWildfire simulation game (internet resource)

Fire TypesNaturalHuman-causedPrescribedCrownGroundSpottingBackfireBlow-upFirestorm

5Crown: burn in the tops of trees, very difficult once started because thy move quickly and jump location with the wind easilySurface: burns in grasses, shrubs and lower limbs of trees (up to around 4 ft), can move rapidly depending on fuel sources and windGround: burn in litter, duff and roots found in the understory, can be difficult to detect because of more of a smoldering behavior that doesnt have obvious flames, will often look extinguished but will reignite because not completely outSpotting: burning embers called firebrands blown ahead of the main fire and start smaller fires, associated with crown fires and wind and also depends heavily on topographyBackfire: fire purposely set at the edge of a fire to burn back towards an area actively burning, purpose is to rid an area of fuel sources and potentially prevent a fire from spreading to that area or beyond, usually used to protect an areaBlow-up: sudden increase in fire intensity may be related to a firestormFirestorm: violent convection (currents created by rising and falling of hot and cooler air surrounding a fire) created by a large continuous area of intense fire, characterized by violent surface winds and tornado like fire whirls that are vortex columns of hot air and gases that carry aloft smoke, debris and flames range in size from one foot to 500 feet and have the intensity of a small tornadoPrescribed: purposely set by management agency to change a fires direction like a backfire or to decrease fuel sources to prevent a future large scale fireNatural: started by lightning or lava, managed as wildland firesHuman-caused: out of control campfires, prescribed burns, sparks from electrical lines, etc.Fire SuppressionFirelinesBackfiresWater dropFire retardantsColored dyeChemicalsClay

6Fire retardants are powders mixed with waterColored dye (usually red) added chemical fire retardant to make it easier to see where the chemical landed on the ground to improve coverage and because winds near a fire are unpredictable at times, dye gradually fades as it is exposed to sunlightChemicals: variety of phosphate and sulfate salts that act as fire retardants to prevent the combustion of plant material some by adding nitrogen or carbon dioxide to the air to decrease the quantity of oxygen available to the fire, they then act as fertilizer after the fire danger has passedClay or guar gum is added to increase the stickiness of the chemical slury and keep it in place once it is dropped, also to help penetrate the tree canopyThese chemicals are highly regulated to be non-toxic to animals

Firefighting JobsMostly seasonalEngine crewHelicoptersTransportationDrop water or retardantMapping technologyHotshotsHandcrewsSmokejumpersAirplanesFire lookoutSupport personnel

7Most wildland fire jobs are seasonal (summer), can be long days if on a fire, but can be spotty work also depending on the intensity of the fire seasonEngine crew: used for the initial attack on a fire, construct firelines (remove debris and litter to make an area of bare ground, may dig trenches), mop up hotspots near the fires edge, crew will consist of 3-10 people, may travel with an engine (like a normal fire engine) that can haul water and or chemicals to spray on the fireHelicopters are used to transport personnel (helitak crews) for an initial attack or cargo to support fire suppression efforts, some helitak crews will rappel into remote locations from the helicopter, helicopter can also be equipped with buckets to pick up water from rivers/lakes or have fixed tanks to drop water/retardant on a fire, generally also have infrared and other imaging technology to map the progression of the fire; forest service based crews but also private companies contract to agenciesHotshots: employed by several different government agencies including Forest Service and BLM and NPS, must pass rigorous physical fitness and conditioning program (45 pound pack, 3 miles in 45 minutes), front line fire-fighting, on call 24hrs 7 days a week during entire fire season, can work in remote locations, sleep on the ground, mainly work on any aspect of fire suppression but will also do search and rescue and disaster responseHandcrews: crew of 18-20 people, construct firelines by striping the land of flammable materials down to soil to control the fire and to mop up after a fireSmokejumper: parachute from a plane in to provide an initial attack, self-sufficient for at least 48 hours, do strenuous work in rugged terrain in remote areas, smokejumping centers in West Yellowstone and MissoulaAirplanes: piloted dropping water or fire retardant over the firelineFire lookout: lives in a fire tower at the top of a mountain, looks for signs of smoke, long hours in isolated locations and may be aloneSupport personnel: many people that cook meals at fire camps, bring in supplies, coordinate different agencies, communicate information with the public and the media, provide traffic control, etc.1988 Fire Statistics9 human caused42 lighting caused36% of park effected63% of burned area due to fires started outside park300 large mammals died$120 million spent fighting25,000 people involved

Of the animals that died 246 elk, 9 bison, 4 mule deer, 2 moose; most of the elk all died when trapped in a canyon that was overrun with fire

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