The number of bushfires per week in Australia increased by 40 per cent between 2008 and 2013, according to a new study, but experts say it is too early to link this to climate change.

Key points: Weekly bushfire frequencies increased by 40 per cent between 2008 and 2013

Weekly bushfire frequencies increased by 40 per cent between 2008 and 2013 Experts say it is too early to link this to climate change

Experts say it is too early to link this to climate change Environmental data could be used to help fire fighters

However the modelling, which blends NASA satellite data on bushfires with a host of other environmental data, could be used by fire authorities in the future to predict whether a fire will ignite in any given area that week, said the study's authors.

"We found that the bushfire frequency is increasing," said first author Dr Ritaban Dutta, a data scientist from CSIRO Data61, whose study was published in the Royal Society journal Open Science.

Dr Dutta said NASA data, which gave the latitude, longitude and intensity of fires across the world, showed that in 2013 there were 4,595 fires per week across Australia.

The most seriously affected areas were tropical and subtropical areas in Queensland and Northern New South Wales, he said.

The researchers found there had been a 40 per cent increase in fires from 2008.

Dr Dutta and colleagues from the University of Tasmania combined bushfire frequency data with measurements of factors such as temperature, humidity, wind speed and soil moisture, which are known to impact on the flammability of landscapes.

The resulting computer model links actual fire data with flammability factors that could be used to give fire authorities a heads up on likely fires.

"You could have a map showing bushfire hotspots with 15-metre resolution," Dr Dutta said.

The new algorithm allows scientists to identify bushfire hot spots which can help firefighters make decisions on the ground. ( Supplied: Dr Ritaban Dutta )

Too soon to know if climate change is to blame

Climate scientists said the period of time covered by the study was too short determine if the increase was due to climate change or part of natural variability.

Dr Will Steffen from the Climate Council said previous research found an increase in bushfire frequency in forested regions of south-eastern Australia over the past 35 years, and an increase in high fire danger weather.

However, he said obtaining reliable data was a challenge when it came to studying bushfire frequency and he welcomed the new study using the remote sensing data from NASA.

"That gives you a very internally consistent data set," he said.

Dr Steffen said longer studies would be needed to be sure whether climate change was influencing bushfire frequency.

"In terms of climate change, my rule of thumb is you need about three decades as a minimum worth of data to start to see a longer term trend," he said.

"I would say that's a reasonable comment," said senior author of the new study Dr Jagannath Aryal, a senior lecturer of spatial sciences in the School of Land and Food.

But he said the model linking environmental conditions with bushfire frequency would still be useful in developing a tool to give people early warning for fires, saving lives and property.

"At this stage we can definitely say this is proof of concept," Dr Aryal said.