2007 - The Year of the Aquifer

2007 has turned the page, and I welcome "the Year of the Aquifer".
Heavy clouds
over Kangaroo Valley
from my back deck
It is raining outside (or has been) and we need that - if only to prevent the SCA from committing an act of environmental vandalism on the Kangaloon Aquifer.

I have followed a link from a fellow blogger, Robert Merkel, whose "The View from Benambra" carried a link to a Bushfire monitoring hotspot site which is run by the Federal Government, believe it or not! It is called "Sentinel" and is run by Geoscience Australia. This is an entrance page to their web page, and you need to "sign in" to access the maps. It is a free service. It is similar to the Aus-emaps site I have linked to previously.

I would have to say, there are a few odd records, including one "hot spot" in the middle of the ocean, north-west of the Kimberleys. Is it Ashmore Reef on fire, I wonder, or a ship at sea - on fire? Maybe some "People Smugglers" having a BBQ?
Rain on the deck
The Web map for all of Australia shows NO bushfires in Tasmania (good news for them). There are 3 fires still burning in Victoria - two in Gippsland, (near Dargo, north from Bairnsdale) and one up in the hills above Mansfield (seemingly not near any main settlements).

To zoom in on the fires, either progressively click the + buttons, over the centre where you wish to look at in detail. Alternatively, click on the fires in Gippsland, and then type in in a scale of 1,800,000 in the scale box, below the lower left corner of the image. That will show you the general central Gippsland area. Zoom in or out with the + and - buttons, as appropriate.

Another interesting fact is that there are numerous fires across the north of Australia, and in the west which we in the south-eastern corner of Australia never hear about. Ah, the joys of parochial media, based in Sydney and Melbourne.