Australia was recently cast into a severe fire and drought for most of the summer, but recently the situation has flipped.  Australia’s weather is rapidly changing, several areas are in a State of Emergency with massive floods. In an area known as Byron Bay, there was 11 inches of rain in under 24 hours. The combination of drought and fire gave a dangerous addition to the floods, sediment. The ash will make the water an extreme hazard for wildlife and marine animals. Some already fragile rivers are almost past the point of no return, one of these is the Macleay river which is being described as a “runny cake mix.” On top of ash and sediment making the water slush, the bacteria is sucking the oxygen out of the water making it more uninhabitable for most types of fish. Ash, water, and slush with depleting oxygen will be the end of several species of fish if action is not taken.

Citations

Readfearn, Graham. “’Triple Whammy’: Drought, Fires and Floods Push Australian Rivers into Crisis.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 12 Feb. 2020, www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/feb/12/triple-whammy-hits-push-australian-rivers-crisis.