he Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service CAMS has tracked emissions from forest fires and the effects of the resulting smoke pollution on the atmosphere.
Unprecedented wildfires in Canada
The wildfires that Canada suffered during 2023 generated the highest carbon emissions registered in this country by a large margin. According to GFASv1.2 data, the forest fires started in early May They released approximately 480 megatons of carbonwhich means almost Five times the average over the past 20 years It represents 23% of the total global carbon emissions resulting from wildfires in 2023. Projections for total annual global wildfire emissions are As of December 10, 2,100 megatonnes of carbon.
Forest fires In British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Nova Scotia, the Northwest Territories and Quebec were notable not only for carbon emissions produced, but also for Its density, continuity, and impact on local communities.
Hum pollutionOr resulting from Canadian forest fires It seriously affected the air quality Not only locally, but also throughout most of North America and beyond, with several episodes of long-range smoke across the Atlantic causing Hazy skies in parts of Europe.
Mark BarringtonA senior scientist at CAMS commented: “Canadian wildfires top global fire emissions in 2023.
The first long-range transport of smoke across the Atlantic Ocean from #Canada #Forest fires for 2019. Learn how such events are monitored and monitored globally with these videos from the EUMETSAT/Copernicus/ECMWF MOOC https://t.co/TQ3ym2p05E. #AtmosphereMOOC #Open data #OpenScience pic.twitter.com/kxEyfOU7Fk
– Mark Parrington (@m_parrington) June 3, 2019
The extent of fires across much of the country and the persistence of fires from May to October were at a level not previously seen in data records (which include records older than those available in the GFAS data set). The impact on air quality in North America and the fact that Europe may experience hazy skies as a result of these fires is a clear indication of their importance. At CAMS, we closely monitor fires affecting vegetation around the world throughout the year, in order to better understand how fire seasons change and what this means for air quality around the world.»
Greece, Hawaii and the Northern Hemisphere in general
In the northern hemisphere there was Several forest fires Which devoured vast areas of forests and pastures in Canada, Russia, the United States and Europe. While wildfires in Canada broke records, the United States and Russia experienced quieter than usual fire seasons, with emissions estimated to be lower than the average of the past 20 years.
Mediterranean region of Europetraditionally more vulnerable to forest fires, and Greece in particularIt was hit by devastating fires in July and August. Fires that broke out in Rhodes in July and in the Evros region near the Turkish border in East Macedonia and Thrace in August had major impacts on local communities. The combined carbon emissions from the July and August bushfires were the third largest on record, after emissions from 2007 and 2021, adding nearly 2 megatonnes of carbon.
Fires at the end of March in Spainon the border between Aragon and the Valencian Community, and in Asturias, was The first major forest fires this year in the country It caused the highest emissions that month in 21 years of data collected by CAMS GFAS. During the month of August, Tenerife and the Canary Islands It saw its highest carbon emissions since 2003.
Wildfires on the Hawaiian island of Maui during August were also notable, both in terms of emissions and local impact, causing significant loss of human life and infrastructure.
Major seasonal fires also occurred in several regions of Eurasia, including Russia, Kazakhstan and Mongolia, in April and May.
Forest fires in the southern hemisphere
The effect of the El Niño phenomenon It causes high temperatures, abnormally dry conditions, and increased fire danger in tropical regions of the Southern Hemisphere. The number and emissions of fires in Indonesia have increased due to the El Niño phenomenon between August and November compared to the previous three years, although it did not reach the level seen in 2015 and 2019 (during the years of El Niño and the positive phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole). Australia’s tropics also saw the highest number of bushfires and emissions in the past decade in October and November. The risk of bushfires is expected to remain very high across large areas of the country, especially in Queensland and New South Wales, and CAMS will continue to closely monitor the situation in these areas in the new year.
South America has suffered major forest fires At the beginning of the year in Chile and Argentina. The characteristic peaks of fire emissions from the Amazon during August and September were generally below average, although they increased significantly between late October and mid-November.
Emissions from fires increased significantly in Bolivia and the southern states of Brazil About the Pantanal wetlands in relation to the current drought and rising temperatures.
Climate change and forest fires
The relationship between climate change and wildfires is complexBecause emissions from forest fires are not one of the main drivers of global warming Increase in greenhouse gas concentrations In the atmosphere, although higher temperatures associated with higher levels of these gases increase the likelihood of wildfires.
With increasing heat wavesin conjunction with each other Long-term drought conditions, Increases the probability of forest fires The likes of what happened in Canada have never been seen before. Therefore, it is necessary to constantly monitor the evolution of emissions from forest fires to assess and mitigate their impact on air quality and human health.
