Bushfires in Tasmania, Australia: An Introduction

Tasmania is a large island (68,401 km²) that lies 200 km south of the south-eastern Australian mainland. The island has a maritime temperate climate with a steep west to east rainfall gradient (>3000 to <500 mm mean annual precipitation associated with the preponderance of rain-bearing westerly winds that are intercepted by rugged low (<2000 m) mountain ranges and plateaux. The geology of the island is very varied with fine-scale assortments of sedimentary, metamorphic, and igneous rocks. Across the island, higher elevation landscapes have been exposed to glacial and periglacial erosion, while lowland areas in drier areas have deeply weathered regolith, sometimes overlain with aeolian landforms. The mid-latitudinal position of the island (40 to 43.5° S) leads to very strong slope aspect effects on solar radiation, which, combined with elevation temperature gradients and topographic rain shadows, influences microclimate and soil moisture. Collectively, the interplay of geology, geomorphology, rainfall, and temperature gradients contributes to the rich flora and fauna that has numerous endemic species of plants and animals with diverse biogeographic patterns.