Mediterranean-type Climate Ecosystems and Fire - Fire in Mediterranean Ecosystems - page 21

Box 1.3 ( cont. )

Table B1.3.1 (cont.)

MTC region Subregion Wind Season Characteristics

pressure and coastal low pressure
systems

Australia Victoria and

NSW

Brickfielder Summer Katabatic foehn winds with

northwesterly offshore flow from
high pressure interior and coastal
low pressure systems

Katabatic winds are downslope winds; foehn winds are due to synoptic conditions from interior high
pressure cells and coastal low pressure troughs.

Fig. B1.3.1 Santa Ana wind-driven fires and smoke in 2003 from Ventura County, USA, to
San Antonio de Las Minas near Ensenada, Mexico (SALM arrow). Note the apparent lack of
Santa Ana winds on the fire further south near Santo Toma´s (ST arrow at bottom of panel) due
to effects of the Gulf of California and San Pedro Ma´rtir (see Keeley & Fotheringham 2001a ,
2001b ). ( Image captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS)
on the Terra satellite on October 26, 2003 ; http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
NaturalHazards. )

Continued