Wildfires are burning in large parts of the eastern and western Canada has released a record 160 million tonnes of carbon European UnionThe Copernicus Atmospheric Monitoring Service said this on Tuesday.
this year Forest fire The season was the worst ever in Canada, with an area of about 76,000 square kilometers (29,000 sq mi) burned in eastern and western Canada. That’s more than the area burned in 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2022 combined, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
As of June 26, annual emissions from the fires are now the largest for Canada since satellite monitoring began in 2003, exceeding 140 million tonnes in 2014.
“The difference is that the eastern Canada fires are driving more of this increase in emissions than western Canada,” said Mark Parrington, senior scientist at Copernicus. That said, emissions from just Alberta and British Columbia are far from setting a record.
Scientists are particularly concerned about what the Canada fires are putting into the atmosphere – and the air we breathe.
The carbon they released is roughly equivalent to Indonesia’s annual carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels.
Forests act as an important sink for planet-warming carbon. It is estimated that more than 200 billion tonnes of carbon are stored in Canada’s northern boreal forest—the equivalent of several decades of global carbon emissions. But when forests burn, they release some of that carbon into the atmosphere. This accelerates global warming and creates a dangerous feedback loop by creating conditions where forests are more likely to burn.
Smoke from Canada’s wildfires enveloped several major urban centers including New York City and Toronto in June, turning skies an ominous orange.
Public health officials issued an air quality alert and urged residents to stay indoors. Wildfire smoke has been linked to higher rates of heart attack, stroke, and more visits to emergency rooms for respiratory conditions.
Now, the plume has crossed the North Atlantic. Parrington said hazy skies and deep orange sunsets are expected in Europe this week because of raging fires in Quebec and Ontario. However, since the smoke is predicted to remain high in the atmosphere, it is not expected to affect surface air quality.
Much of Canada is still experiencing unusually hot and dry conditions, Parrington said, “with no end in sight”.
Wildfire season in Canada typically peaks in late July or August, and emissions continue to increase throughout the summer.
this year Forest fire The season was the worst ever in Canada, with an area of about 76,000 square kilometers (29,000 sq mi) burned in eastern and western Canada. That’s more than the area burned in 2016, 2019, 2022 and 2022 combined, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre.
As of June 26, annual emissions from the fires are now the largest for Canada since satellite monitoring began in 2003, exceeding 140 million tonnes in 2014.
“The difference is that the eastern Canada fires are driving more of this increase in emissions than western Canada,” said Mark Parrington, senior scientist at Copernicus. That said, emissions from just Alberta and British Columbia are far from setting a record.
Scientists are particularly concerned about what the Canada fires are putting into the atmosphere – and the air we breathe.
The carbon they released is roughly equivalent to Indonesia’s annual carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels.
Forests act as an important sink for planet-warming carbon. It is estimated that more than 200 billion tonnes of carbon are stored in Canada’s northern boreal forest—the equivalent of several decades of global carbon emissions. But when forests burn, they release some of that carbon into the atmosphere. This accelerates global warming and creates a dangerous feedback loop by creating conditions where forests are more likely to burn.
Smoke from Canada’s wildfires enveloped several major urban centers including New York City and Toronto in June, turning skies an ominous orange.
Public health officials issued an air quality alert and urged residents to stay indoors. Wildfire smoke has been linked to higher rates of heart attack, stroke, and more visits to emergency rooms for respiratory conditions.
Now, the plume has crossed the North Atlantic. Parrington said hazy skies and deep orange sunsets are expected in Europe this week because of raging fires in Quebec and Ontario. However, since the smoke is predicted to remain high in the atmosphere, it is not expected to affect surface air quality.
Much of Canada is still experiencing unusually hot and dry conditions, Parrington said, “with no end in sight”.
Wildfire season in Canada typically peaks in late July or August, and emissions continue to increase throughout the summer.