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Very important MLA Format

Fajhan 2

Ahmad Fajhan

Debbie Gyenizse

ENC 1102-U06

19 March 2020

Australian Bushfire and climate change

Over the recent past, Australia has been experiencing the challenge of occurrence of bushfires. This is mostly problematic especially for the reason that the cause of the bush fires have not been established. What is interesting about the issue is that these fires continually occur while the primary source of the fires remain a mystery. The country experienced high temperatures in 2019 as well as increase in the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. The ozone layer was damaged hence leading to lack of radiation balance on earth, and hence resulting to limited escape of heat through the ozone layer. For this reason, I felt the need to establish the principal causes and even the factors that enable the occurrence of the fires in Australia. It is also important to establish whether climatic changes affect occurrence of the fires (Dowdy, 2018).

To gain clarity on the matter, I decided to carry on some additional research and read more information on the internet about the Australian bush fires. As I conducted my first research, I learned four major facts about the fires. I found out that the majority of the country’s bush fires only ignited when there were record breaking heat waves, that before the fires started, the country was hot and dry.

Upon conducting my study on the Australian bush fires, I was able to identify four main things about the fires. The first finding was that the majority of the country’s bush fires ignited when there were record-breaking heat waves. Before the fires started, the country was hot and dry. As much as there are various ways in which the fires started: some by arsonists, some by lightning, it is the hot and dry climatic conditions that support the growth and just how quickly the fires spread.

I discovered in my second finding that climate change and weather variability can be held partly responsible for the fires. According to Lesley Head and his fellow climatologists, by taking a look at Australia’s climate, anyone can realize that the nation have been experiencing droughts which are stimulated by three winter seasons. The combination of two extreme seasons has left the country with little precipitation. The country was also made more vulnerable to heat waves by the Indian ocean dipole. The dipole were found to push the clouds that gather moisture far away from Australia, which led to more droughts in the country. This makes it vulnerable to heat waves.

The third finding I made showed that the Australian continent is a biodiversity hotspot, that the occurrences of bush fires are putting plants and animals at risk. The continent has close to 250 species of mammals. However, with the rise of bush fires, the number is bound to drop and this will put a strain on the country’s ecological system. The fires either burn the animals and plants or destroy the foods that they depend on.

The fourth finding I uncovered showed that the lives of a large population of people living in Australia have been disrupted by the bushfires. For instance, about 4000 Australian citizens who previously resided in Victoria had to relocate to the beach due to occurrence of fires in the nearby regions. The fires made it impossible for rescue teams to get to the people via roads, since the fires had closed them off. The only escape route they had was via the sea and air. Not only did the fires destroy homes, but the fires also destroyed and interrupted food supplies, power supplies and even fuel supply. As a result of the fires, the smoke has also exposed many people to respiratory complications. Furthermore, farming has been interrupted, thus causing a vacuum in terms of food supply.

Works Cited

Dowdy, Andrew J. “Climatological variability of fire weather in Australia.” Journal of applied meteorology and climatology 57.2 (2018): 221-234. Retrieved from https://journals.ametsoc.org/

Head, Lesley, et al. “Climate change and Australia.” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 5.2 (2019): 175-197. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/

1-Page-work/My_Final-Draft x
Running Head: PEER REVIEWING IN EVIDENCE BASED PROJECTS 1

Surname 4

Student’s Name
Professor’s name
Course
Date
What are the Real Causes of the Australian Bush Fires?
Bushfires are common in Australia and are problematic mainly because the underlying root cause of the fires is not clear. The topic is interesting because the unprecedented bushfires have continued to unfold and the principal causes of the fires are still a competing argument. In 2019, the temperatures in Australia were above average and the rising levels of the greenhouse gases into the atmosphere caused the lack of radiation balance on earth leading to less escape of heat. The above findings led to the desire to know what the underlying causes and negative factors that favor the occurrence of Australia’s bushfires are as well as the role of climate change concerning these devastating fires.
To gain clarity on the matter, I decided to carry out research. My research was divided into two sections. Section one involved reading as much information as possible on Australian bush fires on the internet, Section two involved watching a you tube video on one of the areas affected by the fires. The main purpose of watching the clip was to know the negative effects of the fires as well as see if I can get a hint of what caused the fires.
Upon conducting my study on the Australian bush fires, I was able to know four main things about the fires. The first finding was that the majority of the country’s bush fires ignited when there were record-breaking heatwaves. Before the fires started, the country was hot and dry. As much as there are various ways in which the fires started: some by arsons, some by lightning, it is the dry and hot climatic conditions of the country that supported the growth of the fires as well as their spreading.
The second finding was that climate change and weather variability can be held partly responsible for the fires. A look at Australia’s climate one cannot help note that the nation has been facing severe drought which has been spurred by three winter periods (Lesley et al., 2019 p. 183). The combination of the two extreme seasons has left the country with little precipitation (Dowdy, 2018 p. 223). Also, the country was hit by the Indian Ocean dipole which pushed moisture gathering clouds further away from Australia making the country drier and more susceptible to heatwaves.
The third finding was that the continent is a biodiversity hotspot. The occurrences of bush fires are putting plants and animals at risk. The continent has close to 250 species of mammals however with the rise of bush fires, the number is bound to drop and this will put a strain on the country’s ecological system (Resnick, Irfan, and Samuel, 2020). The fires either burn the animals and plants or destroy the foods that they depend on.
The fourth finding was that thousands of people’s lives have been disrupted by the fires. In the last Australian fires, about 4000 people in Victoria were forced to head to the beach as their communities were ravaged by fires. The fires made it impossible for rescue teams to get to the people via roads as the fires had closed them off. The only escape route they had was via the sea and air. The fires not only destroyed homes, but as well destroyed and interrupted food supplies, power supplies and even fuel supply (Berglez, Peter, and Lidsko, 2019 p. 386). The smoke as a result of the fires has also exposed many people to respiratory complications. Furthermore, farming has been interrupted creating a vacuum in terms of food supply.
To find out more information about the reason why the Australian bushfires started as well as the impact of the bushfires, on 16th March I watched a film that touched on the impact of the bushfires on Kangaroo Island in South Australia which is a good location to observe the impacts of the fire and to evaluate the underlying causes and negative factors that favor the occurrence of Australia’s bushfires. I spent two hours watching the films trying to get insight on what happened and how it happened.
Over the two hours, I was able to notice three main things. The first thing was that the park was dry. The bushes and the grass were dry; the color of the vegetation was bordering between green and brown which is not usual of the park’s vegetation (ABC News, 2020). When there is ample rain, the park’s vegetation is greenish. From the first observation, I was able to conclude that the park was extraordinarily dry and that is a potential cause of the bushfires that affected the park.
Besides, I noticed that there was a black smoke that filled the park during filming even though the bushfires that ravaged the park had been extinguished. Furthermore, the park was in black color which is a result of the effect of the fire on the park’s vegetation (guardian news, 2020). In the film, a man was recorded carrying burnt carcasses of Kangaroos and Koala bears (behind the news, 2020). He was taking the carcasses to an animal mass grave. The grave was dug to house the park animals that were burnt by the bushfires or that that died due to inhaling smoke. From the observation of burnt carcasses, I was able to identify the impact of the bushfires not only on vegetation but also on animals.

From my observations and research I was able to discover the answers to my problematic question. I was able to know how and why the Australian bush fires happened. Based on the research, I discovered that climatic and weather changes played a significant role in the start and the spread of Australian bush fires. In addition, I learnt that the impact of the bushfires is not only immediate but also long term due to the disruption of the country’s ecological system. Lastly I was able to identify solutions that can be implemented to prevent bush fires from starting in the country as well as spreading. For the country to prevent similar fires in the future, reforestation must happen as well as the adoption of measures that emphasize on reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Works Cited
ABC news (Australia). The search for wildlife survivors on bushfire-ravaged Kangaroo Island | ABC News:YouTube (2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwPr6Neql2E

Behind the news. Interview with Sam of Kangaroo Island Wildlife Park – Behind the News:Youtube(2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1aFzCf9UG4

Berglez, Peter, and Rolf Lidskog. “Foreign, domestic, and cultural factors in climate change reporting: Swedish media’s coverage of bushfires in three continents.” Environmental Communication 13.3 (2019): 381-394. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2017.1397040
 Brian Resnick, Umair Irfan, and Sigal Samuel. “8 things everyone should know about Australia’s bushfire disaster.”(2020). Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2020/1/8/21055228/australia-fires-map-animals-koalas-wildlife-smoke-donate
Dowdy, Andrew J. “Climatological variability of fire weather in Australia.” Journal of applied meteorology and climatology 57.2 (2018): 221-234. Retrieved from https://journals.ametsoc.org/
Guardian news. Wildlife rescue teams search for survivors on Kangaroo Island: Youtube (2020). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ5TQXWCYmQ

Head, Lesley, et al. “Climate change and Australia.” Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 5.2 (2019): 175-197. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/

1-Page-work/Question

The four steps for MLA citation: ENC1102

You must follow these specific steps to incorporate accurate MLA citation into your writing:

1. First, always use an Attributive tag (signal phrase); ex: According to Hill… Friedman claims…Rubin asserts… (See the Attributive Tag handout on Canvas for additional signal phrases).

2a) *Next, either use a direct quote; ex: Blogger Libby Hill writes that loneliness “… has

less to do with being alone and more to do with not having other people around” (???), or

b) A paraphrase, (rewording of the author’s ideas); ex: Hill argues that children are not

ignorant, and just like the cartoon character Calvin, they are attuned to the world around

them (???), or

c) A brief summary; ex: In her blog, based on the syndicated Calvin and Hobbes cartoon

strip, Hill warns her readers against the inherent dangers of overmedicating children. She avidly preaches that as a result of the children being overmedicated, they forever lose their sense of creativity (???), or even

d) A long direct block quote (4 full lines or more). *FYI! This long quote is based on

another topic; ex: According to Lew Feldstein, a United Way director:

…communities with high social capital tend to have better outcomes in areas like crime, health, and education than do communities with low social capital. Expanding national service will increase people-to-people contact, creating more opportunities to form the connections that build social capital. The power of volunteers, that brings people together, shines through the testimonial pages of the AmeriCorps Web site. (Qtd in AmeriCorps Impact Guide 378)

*Notice the difference in punctuation between the short direct quote (2a) and the other

topic’s long direct quote (2d).

3. Then use a parenthetical citation, Ex: (Everyone’s an Author 192) the first time, and if you directly cite again from the same source, just cite the page number (194). Also see the above proper citation for the Americorp “quote within a quote”).

4. Finally, on its own page, add the Works Cited page; ex:

Madsen 4

Works Cited

AmeriCorps Impact Guide. Corporation for National and Community Service, n.d. Web.

23 February 2013.

Hill, Libby. “Calvin and Hobbes: The Voice of the Lonely Child”. (192-197). Everyone’s an

Author. Andrea Lunsford, Michael Brody, Lisa Ede, Beverly J Moss, Carol Clark Pepper,

and Keith Walters. Florida International University’s Customized edition. New York:

Norton, 2017.