DoctorMadeline Carins Murphy

Project Total: $0; Climate change poses a significant challenge for TasNetworks; both current asset management and long-term planning efforts are stronglyinfluenced by a range of possible impacts from climate change. As the occurrence and intensity of natural disasters, including bushfires and floods, increase, so does the vulnerability of the grid, which can lead to unprecedented damage to electrical infrastructure and consequential increase in powerprices. Given concern of the role of drought cycles in exacerbating landscape flammability, TasNetworks partnered with the Fire Centre on two competitive grants, offering both in kind and cash contributions to support field access and logistics and the salary of the postdoctoral research fellow in plant physiology respectively. Unfortunately, both applications (1. ARC Linkage Project application (LP220200702) Live fuel tipping points: Environmental drivers of plant flammability and 2. AFWI NOC2024Rd100012 Switching from forests to infernos: How does drought stress amplify plant flammability?) were unsuccessful in securing funding. This project represents a scaled-down version of the above projects, using the existing MOU investment of funds to conduct a pilot study to determine how live fuel moisture shapes flammability. The results of this study will provide critical information required to improve bushfire modelling capacity and proof of concept which will strengthen future competitive grant applications. Funded by: Tasmanian Networks Pty Ltd ($33,000); University of Tasmania.