Forest fires in Canada caused the evacuation of thousands of people. Last week Ottawa declared the emergency for uncontrollable fire in the most affected city, Manitoba, where thousands of people were displaced.
Propicated by a hot and dry climate, almost 200 foci still remain active throughout the country. In recent days, More than 25,000 residents in three provinces were evacuated. The authorities recommended to the residents of the affected areas remain indoors, close windows and use chins and air purifiers to the need to leave. A large number of people suffer respiratory problems.
A few days ago Copernicus warned of the possibility that smoke generated by these terrible fires could cross the Atlantic driven by currents. And they have recently confirmed that this possibility had come true.
The smoke of the Canadian fire in Europe
He smoke from the fires recorded in the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewanin the center of Canada, specifically in the Canadian meadows, the Atlantic has crossed and has reached European territory in recent days, according to the Atmospheric Monitoring Service of Copernicus (CAMS).
Los Fire in Canada have experienced “a significant increase” In the number and intensity throughout May in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario, the European service ensures in a statement, which indicates that emissions to the atmosphere have also increased.
He Smoke has affected air quality locally, according to CAMS, and, according to local authoritieshas forced the evacuation of inhabitants of the remote indigenous communities, as well as some workers of oil farms.
According to the observations of several cams satellites, records a long distance smoke transport through the Atlanticwith an initial column at great altitude that crossed the Mediterranean region on May 18 and 19, and arrived in Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean.
A Second column of smoke, much bigger, crossed the Atlantic During the last week of May, reaching northwest of Europe on June 1. According to CAMS, more smoke columns are expected to reach the European continent in the next few days.
The planned smoke transport is not expected to have a significant impact on surface air quality, since episodes like this tend to occur to greater altitude. The Typical effects of these episodes are manifested in more misty skies with reddish or orange sunsetsaccording to Cams.
Mark Parrington, a senior scientist of the Atmospheric Monitoring Service of Copernicus, states that “forest fires are frequent in boreal forests from spring to summer months.”
He states that until the beginning of June, the data shows that Canada’s central regions have experienced «a few very intense weeks in terms of forest fire emissions«.
These data, and the fact that smoke can be observed in Europe, reflect the magnitude of the fires and their impacts on Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In it Service are monitored events like these to understand “how they affect the atmosphere and air quality at regional and global level«.
According to CAMS, in addition, since the beginning of April there have been large forest fires in the Federal District of the Far East of Russia, being the most prominent those that have occurred in the Republic of Buriatia and the Krai of Zabaikalia, east of Lake Baikal. The Carbon emissions in the Federal District of the East since the beginning of April They have been at their highest level for the period in question since 2018, with around 35 megatons of carbon.
Last May, the CAMS forecasts showed large columns of smoke that moved From the Krai of Zabaikalia to the northeast of China and northern Japan, with some impacts on the air quality of the region, while other smoke columns have reached the Arctic. EFE / ECOticias.com