UA Professor says fire seasons may get worse

UA Professor says climate change is contributing to worse fire seasons across the globe and says Arizona should brace for similar circumstances.

-- FEARED DEAD IN AUSTRALIANWILDFIRES.TONIGHT AN EXPERT WEIGHS IN --COULD SOMETHING LIKE THAT --HAPPENHERE IN ARIZONA?GOOD EVENING, THANK YOU FORJOINING US.

I'M PAT PARRIS.I'M VALERIE CAVAZOS.CLIMATE SCIENTISTS SAY WILDFIRESWILL BE ON THE INCREASE -- ASTHE PLANET WARMS --AND A UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONAPROFESSOR SAYS SOUTHERN ARIZONACOULD SOON BE FACING SIMILARCONDITIONS TO WHAT IS HAPPENINGIN OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.NINE ON YOUR SIDE'S BRIANBRENNAN FOUND OUT WHEN IT COMESTO CLIMATE -- ARIZONA ANDAUSTRALIA HAVE A LOT IN COMMON.THE OCEANOGRAPHER WE TALKED TOSAYS AUSTRALIA ANDARIZONA ARE ALMOST MIRRORIMAGES... BOTH LIE ABOUT 30DEGREESFROM THE EQUATER, DEPEND ONWESTERLY WINDS IN THEMID-LATITUDESFOR WINTER RAINS AND HAVE BOTHBEEN EXPERIENCING A WARMINGCLIMATE.SHE SAYS WE SHOULD BE READY FORTHE SAME WILDFIREPOTENTIAL IN OUR FUTURE.FLAMES RAGING ABOVE THE TREESAND SMOKE BLOCKING OUT THESUN.AUSTRALIAN FAMILIES TRY TO FINDSHELTER... AND THE ANIMALS DOTHEIR BEST TO OUTRUN THE FIRELINES.JOELLEN RUSSELLPROFESSOR, GEOSCIENCES4:34-4:43THEY ARE SITTINGCLIMATOLOGICALLY IN A VERYSIMILAR SPOT, THEY ARE GETTINGABSOLUTELY SLAMMED THIS YEAR ANDWE WORRY ITMAY AT SOME POINT BE OUR TURNED.OCEANOGRAPHER JOELLEN RUSSELLSAYS PARTS OF AUSTRALIA AND THESOUTHWEST UNITED STATES ARE LIKEMIRROR IMAGES OF EACH OTHER.THEY HAVE THE SIMPSON DESERT...WE HAVE THE SONORAN.BOTH HAVE BEEN GENERALLYWARMING... AND BOTH AREASDEPEND ON WESTERLY WINDS FORWINTER RAINS.JOELLEN RUSSELLPROFESSOR, GEOSCIENCES5:20-5:33THE WESTERLY JETS ARE MIGRATINGSLIGHTLY POLEWARD WHICH ISBAD FOR US IN SOUTHERN ARIZONABECAUSE WE MIGHT GET FEWERSTORMSIN THE WINTER AND ITS BAD FORAUSTRALIA BECAUSE THEIRJETS MIGRATING SOUTHCONTRIBUTING TO THEIR MASSIVEDROUGHT.RUSSELL SAYS THE INCREASE INWILDFIRES IN AUSTRALIA ARE APRODUCT OF CLIMATE CHANGE.JOELLEN RUSSELLPROFESSOR, GEOSCIENCES8:28-37IT'S WARM!

THIS IS THE ANOMALYIN TEMPERATURE, THIS IS HOW MUCHWARMER EVERYWHERE IN THE OCEAN,ALL THOSE ROBOFLOATS ARETELLING ME THE SAME STORY.AND SHE SAYS OUR REGION COULD BEHEADING TOWARDS A SIMILAR FATE.JOELLEN RUSSELLPROFESSOR, GEOSCIENCES11:02-11:12HERE COMES THE HEAT.

ITS ALREADYHERE THE OCEAN IS GIVING US BACKJUST A LITTLE, AND I THINK WESHOULD BRACE, BRACE, BRACE.IN ADDITION TO PREPARING FORFUTURE FIRES... RUSSELL SAYSARIZONAN'S HAVE A GOOD REASON TOLEAD THE CHARGE FOR CLEAN ENERGYAND REDUCING CARBON EMISSIONS.ARIZONA IS LINKED TO AUSTRALIABY MORE THAN SIMILAR CLIMATECHALLENGES... 6 FOREST SERVICEEMPLOYEES FROM ARIZONA AND ONEMETEOROLOGIST FROM THE NATIONALWEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN TUCSONHAVE BEEN SENT TO HELP WITH THEEFFORTS THERE.