Summer 2020’s Arctic wildfires set new emission records
4 years, 3 months ago

Summer 2020’s Arctic wildfires set new emission records

CNN  

CNN — Wildfires raging in the Arctic Circle smashed last year’s records for carbon dioxide emissions, according to scientists at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. Using CAMS’ Global Fire Assimilation System data, scientists estimated that CO2 emissions from fires in the Arctic Circle have increased by more than a third, compared to 2019, with 244 megatonnes of carbon produced from January 1 to August 31, 2020. “What’s been different this year is that we saw through the second half of July and the first couple of weeks of August, a very large cluster of fires burning very far into the Arctic circle and Siberia,” he said. Yevgeny Sofroneyev/TASS/Getty Images “Depending on the meteorology at the time, the huge amount of smoke and pollution that these fires produce doesn’t necessarily stay there – it is subject to long range transport,” Parrington added.

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History of this topic

Thawing Tundra Is Now a Carbon Source in Fast-Warming Arctic
2 weeks ago

Thawing Tundra Is Now a Carbon Source in Fast-Warming Arctic

Live Mint  

-- The 10 hottest years on record have all occurred within the past decade, with 2024 likely to be the warmest yet. “It’s not just that the Arctic is warming just like the rest of the world,” said Rich Thoman, a climate scientist at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. “Because of these changes in the frozen environment, we’re seeing this …

AP photos show the terror of Southern California wildfires and the crushing aftermath
1 month, 2 weeks ago

AP photos show the terror of Southern California wildfires and the crushing aftermath

Associated Press  

Before the wildfire comes a decision: what to save. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print A home destroyed by the Mountain Fire is reflected in a swimming pool in Camarillo, Calif., Nov. 8, 2024. Share Share Copy Link copied Email Facebook X Reddit LinkedIn Pinterest Flipboard Print Flames consume a home as the …

Wildfires spread as hottest day recorded
5 months ago

Wildfires spread as hottest day recorded

China Daily  

Firefighters work to battle the Lone Rock fire in Spray, Oregon in the US on Monday. OREGON STATE FIRE MARSHAL/HANDOUT/REUTERS Numerous severe wildfires have erupted across the northern hemisphere during early summer, sending massive smoke plumes over Eurasia and North America. Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at CAMS, said, "We have been closely monitoring boreal fires in CAMS over a …

Extreme Wildfires Have Doubled in Frequency and Intensity in the Past 20 Years
54 years, 11 months ago

Extreme Wildfires Have Doubled in Frequency and Intensity in the Past 20 Years

Wired  

THIS ARTICLE IS republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Watching the news, it certainly feels like catastrophic extreme wildfires are happening more often, and unfortunately this feeling has now been confirmed as correct. A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution shows that the number and intensity of the most extreme wildfires on Earth have doubled …

CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Scorching Northern Hemisphere heat leads to deaths and wildfires
6 months, 1 week ago

CLIMATE GLIMPSE: Scorching Northern Hemisphere heat leads to deaths and wildfires

Associated Press  

The United States is bracing for chaotic weather this week, with the South set to experience another heat wave following a short respite from searing temperatures earlier this month. And it’s not just the U.S. Across the Northern Hemisphere, in Europe and Asia, extreme temperatures are causing deadly heatstroke and early wildfires ahead of the start of the astronomical summer …

Canadian wildfire smoke chokes Upper Midwest for second straight year
7 months, 1 week ago

Canadian wildfire smoke chokes Upper Midwest for second straight year

Associated Press  

MADISON, Wis. — Smoke from Canadian wildfires has prompted health warnings across the Upper Midwest and Montana for the second year in a row. Unhealthy air pollution levels mean everyone in Minnesota should stay indoors and avoid heavy exertion outdoors, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency said in its first statewide air quality alert of the season Sunday. Prevailing winds could …

Canadian wildfire smoke chokes upper Midwest for second straight year
7 months, 1 week ago

Canadian wildfire smoke chokes upper Midwest for second straight year

LA Times  

Smoke from Canadian wildfires has prompted health warnings across the upper Midwest for the second straight year. Most of the smoke was expected to linger over Minnesota, Wisconsin and northern Michigan, but some could drift as far south as Iowa and Chicago, leaving skies looking milky by late Tuesday or early Wednesday, said Rafal Ogorek, a meteorologist in the National …

Global firestorm: A summer of infernos in Canada, Greece, Hawaii and beyond point to the future
1 year, 4 months ago

Global firestorm: A summer of infernos in Canada, Greece, Hawaii and beyond point to the future

LA Times  

Ash-covered cars still line the highway in Lahaina, Hawaii, where hundreds of people tried in vain to escape from a fast-moving and fatal wildfire, like a scene out of a nightmare. “Climate change doesn’t really explain the catastrophic nature of the fire, and for that I think we have to look deeper at a variety of social, economic and political …

Record heat boosting wildfire risk in Pacific Northwest
1 year, 4 months ago

Record heat boosting wildfire risk in Pacific Northwest

NPR  

Record heat boosting wildfire risk in Pacific Northwest Enlarge this image toggle caption Roger Matthews/AP Roger Matthews/AP A record heat wave in the Pacific Northwest has prompted fire managers to bump the national preparedness level up a notch, from three to four on a five point scale. At the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, federal fire managers monitor giant …

What’s the latest on Canada’s record wildfire season?
1 year, 5 months ago

What’s the latest on Canada’s record wildfire season?

Al Jazeera  

A second firefighter has died as 883 wildfires continue to burn, leading to air quality advisories across North America. High temperatures fuel record fire season British Columbia, on Canada’s west coast, is currently experiencing the most individual fires of any territory, with 373 active blazes on Monday, followed by Quebec on the east coast with 108 fires, according to the …

Global heat is just the latest 2023 extreme that shows an Earth in crisis
1 year, 5 months ago

Global heat is just the latest 2023 extreme that shows an Earth in crisis

The Hindu  

As a warming Earth simmered into worrisome new territory this week, scientists said the unofficial records being set for average planetary temperature were a clear sign of how pollutants released by humans are warming their environment. Dying coral reefs, more intense Nor’easters and the wildfire smoke that has choked much of North America this summer are among the many other …

Recent events that indicate Earth’s climate has entered uncharted territory
1 year, 5 months ago

Recent events that indicate Earth’s climate has entered uncharted territory

Associated Press  

As a warming Earth simmered into worrisome new territory this week, scientists said the unofficial records being set for average planetary temperature were a clear sign of how pollutants released by humans are warming their environment. Some other recent “firsts” and events that indicate climate change has entered uncharted territory: FILE - This January 2017 photo provided by Ted Scambos …

‘Never just the heat’: Signals of climate distress on the rise
1 year, 5 months ago

‘Never just the heat’: Signals of climate distress on the rise

Al Jazeera  

As a warming Earth simmered into worrisome new territory this week, scientists said the unofficial records being set for average planetary temperature were a clear sign of how pollutants released by humans are warming their environment. “Heat sets the pace of our climate in so many ways … it’s never just the heat,” Kim Cobb, a climate scientist at Brown …

Again With the Dang Canadian Wildfire Smoke?
1 year, 5 months ago

Again With the Dang Canadian Wildfire Smoke?

Slate  

Since June, smoke from hundreds of wildfires raging across Canada has been blowing into the United States, tanking air quality here—New York City earned the worst air quality ranking in the world, and that quickly was overtaken by Chicago and Detroit. Natural Resources Canada explained that this is due to “ongoing drought and long-range forecasts for warm temperatures.” Research suggests …

Expect a hot, smoky summer in much of America. Here’s why you’d better get used to it
1 year, 5 months ago

Expect a hot, smoky summer in much of America. Here’s why you’d better get used to it

Associated Press  

The only break much of America can hope for anytime soon from eye-watering dangerous smoke from fire-struck Canada is brief bouts of shirt-soaking sweltering heat and humidity from a southern heat wave that has already proven deadly, forecasters say. “The conditions are not going to be very favorable.” “As long as those fires keep burning up there, that’s going to …

Wildfire burn areas in California are growing ever larger due to greenhouse gas emissions
1 year, 6 months ago

Wildfire burn areas in California are growing ever larger due to greenhouse gas emissions

LA Times  

Although California may be enjoying a lull in this year’s wildfire season — courtesy of a wet winter and a cool spring — scientists say humanity’s relentless burning of fossil fuels has ensured that wildland fires will scorch ever larger portions of the state, perhaps as much as 52% more by midcentury. AghaKouchak said similar attribution studies — such as …

Wildfire smoke from Canada might be a problem ‘all summer’
1 year, 6 months ago

Wildfire smoke from Canada might be a problem ‘all summer’

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy As the number of wildfires continues to grow across Canada, public officials are warning that …

Live updates | Canada Wildfires
1 year, 6 months ago

Live updates | Canada Wildfires

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Follow along for live updates …

Smoke from Canadian wildfires forecast to reach Norway
1 year, 6 months ago

Smoke from Canadian wildfires forecast to reach Norway

Associated Press  

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Norwegian officials said the smoke from Canadian wildfires that has enveloped parts of the U.S. and Canada in a thick haze is expected to pour into Norway on Thursday. The smoke has moved over Greenland and Iceland since June 1, and observations in southern Norway have recorded increasing concentrations of aerosolized particles, the independent research institution said. …

Into the Haze: Wildfire smoke envelops Northern US Skies, from New York to Massachusetts, air alerts issued
1 year, 6 months ago

Into the Haze: Wildfire smoke envelops Northern US Skies, from New York to Massachusetts, air alerts issued

Hindustan Times  

The smoke emanating from hundreds of wildfires raging in eastern Canada has traveled southward, creating a smoky haze over New York City and prompting air alerts to be issued from Minnesota to Massachusetts. New York City’s air quality index soared above 150 on Tuesday, as reported by IQair reaching an "unhealthy" level for vulnerable groups such as the elderly, young …

Photos: Extreme Canadian wildfire smoke shrouds parts of U.S.
1 year, 6 months ago

Photos: Extreme Canadian wildfire smoke shrouds parts of U.S.

NPR  

Photos: Extreme Canadian wildfire smoke shrouds parts of U.S. Enlarge this image toggle caption Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images The National Weather Service has issued several air quality alerts today. Smoke from wildfire in Canada, including dozens of blazes in Quebec, is flowing south. There are air quality alerts in parts of Ohio, too. toggle …

Canadian wildfire smoke spreads ‘hazardous’ air in the US
1 year, 6 months ago

Canadian wildfire smoke spreads ‘hazardous’ air in the US

Al Jazeera  

Smoke from Canadian wildfires poured into the US East Coast and Midwest on Wednesday, covering the capitals of both nations in an unhealthy haze, sending school recesses indoors and prompting people to fish out pandemic-era face masks. While Canadian officials expanded evacuation orders and asked other countries for help fighting more than 420 fires nationwide, air quality with what the …

The link between hotter wildfires and melting Arctic ice : Short Wave : NPR
1 year, 8 months ago

The link between hotter wildfires and melting Arctic ice : Short Wave : NPR

NPR  

Arctic ice is melting. Now, scientists say they're linked Enlarge this image toggle caption Left: Noah Berger/AP Right: Andy Mahoney/University of Alaska Fairbanks Left: Noah Berger/AP Right: Andy Mahoney/University of Alaska Fairbanks In the Arctic Ocean, sea ice is shrinking as the climate heats up. The ice is connected to weather patterns that reach far across North America. And scientists …

Carbon emissions from boreal forest fires rose in 2021
1 year, 9 months ago

Carbon emissions from boreal forest fires rose in 2021

Associated Press  

Phillip Meintzer was hours away by car from the largest fires raging in the forests of British Columbia and Alberta in summer of 2021, but the air was still thick with smoke from the Canadian infernos. “But we spent the whole month under a blanket of smoke.” Fires like these in North American and Eurasian boreal forests created historic amounts …

Wildfire Smoke Is Erasing Progress on Clean Air
2 years, 3 months ago

Wildfire Smoke Is Erasing Progress on Clean Air

New York Times  

Smoke from wildfires has worsened over the past decade, potentially reversing decades of improvements in Western air quality made under the Clean Air Act, according to research published Thursday from Stanford University. Where Wildfire Smoke Pollution Increased Over the Past Decade Micrograms per cubic meter of PM2.5 0 0.25 0.5 1 2 4+ Seattle Spokane WASH. Portland MAINE Missoula MONT. …

‘Nothing left to burn’: Wildfires blaze through the Arctic
2 years, 3 months ago

‘Nothing left to burn’: Wildfires blaze through the Arctic

Al Jazeera  

Fires engulfing boreal forests and tundra are releasing vast amounts of greenhouse gases from the carbon-rich organic soil. Arctic wildfires that sparked above the 66th parallel north unleashed an estimated 16 million tonnes of carbon in 2021 – roughly equal to the annual carbon dioxide emissions of Peru – according to a report by the Copernicus Climate Change Service. Though …

Massive wildfires raging in Russia are ‘already double last year’
2 years, 8 months ago

Massive wildfires raging in Russia are ‘already double last year’

The Independent  

Sign up to the Independent Climate email for the latest advice on saving the planet Get our free Climate email Get our free Climate email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Wildfires are raging in Russia, marking an early start to fire season across the vast …

Wildfires will increase and worsen globally, U.N. warns
2 years, 10 months ago

Wildfires will increase and worsen globally, U.N. warns

NPR  

Wildfires will increase and worsen globally, U.N. warns Enlarge this image toggle caption Ivan Nikiforov/AP Ivan Nikiforov/AP BILLINGS, Mont. — A warming planet and changes to land use patterns mean more wildfires will scorch large parts of the globe in coming decades, causing spikes in unhealthy smoke pollution and other problems that governments are ill prepared to confront, according to …

2021 was a unique climate disaster year, which may be the best we can hope for.
3 years ago

2021 was a unique climate disaster year, which may be the best we can hope for.

Slate  

This story was originally published by HuffPost and has been republished here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. This year’s devastating climate disasters, while breaking records, are only a glimpse at the worsening heat, fires, storms, and floods expected in years to come. This year’s United Nations climate report repeated what similar reports have been saying for years, with …

Northern Hemisphere summer wildfires emit record amount of CO2
3 years, 3 months ago

Northern Hemisphere summer wildfires emit record amount of CO2

Al Jazeera  

Blazes in North America and the Mediterranean prompt spike in planet-warming emissions, EU’s Earth monitoring service says. Wildfires in Siberia, North America and around the Mediterranean caused record levels of planet-warming CO2 emissions this summer, the EU’s Earth monitoring service says. 📢A summer of #wildfires saw devastation & record emissions around the Northern Hemisphere.#Copernicus CAMS has been monitoring these extreme …

Tourist sites threatened by raging US wildfires
3 years, 4 months ago

Tourist sites threatened by raging US wildfires

Al Jazeera  

The Caldor Fire in California and Greenwood Lake Fire in Minnesota are fuelled by climate change, a new report concludes. Enormous wildfires in California and Minnesota are forcing tourists to change their plans in two US vacation spots as a new study blames climate change for creating conditions that fuel the massive blazes. The Greenwood Lake fire burning in the …

Emissions Due to Arctic Fires, Thawing Permafrost Pose Growing Threat to Climate, Finds Study
3 years, 7 months ago

Emissions Due to Arctic Fires, Thawing Permafrost Pose Growing Threat to Climate, Finds Study

News 18  

The warming Arctic tundra will make it harder for the world to curb climate change, as thawing permafrost and wildfires release greenhouse gases that are not fully accounted for in global emissions agreements, a study said on Monday. “The Arctic is in the process of disintegrating as we know it, and the permafrost is one major component with some pretty …

More Lightning in the Arctic Is Bad News for the Planet
3 years, 8 months ago

More Lightning in the Arctic Is Bad News for the Planet

Wired  

The other flammable material in the Arctic is above-ground vegetation. “Shrubs grow more when summers are warmer and when water isn’t limited, so we expect an expansion of shrubs with future warming in the tundra.” Looking at sediment records, Myers-Smith can actually see how in the past, warmer times in the north encouraged the growth of more shrubs and led …

Lightning strikes could spark more Arctic wildfires, says study
3 years, 8 months ago

Lightning strikes could spark more Arctic wildfires, says study

Live Mint  

Lightning strikes inside the Arctic circle may double this century, sparking widespread tundra fires and increasing the risk of setting off the carbon time bomb held within permafrost, new research showed Monday. "We projected how lightning in high-latitude boreal forests and Arctic tundra regions will change across North America and Eurasia," said Yang Chen, a researcher at the University of …

Vast wildfires in Siberia linked to warming Arctic
4 years ago

Vast wildfires in Siberia linked to warming Arctic

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy This year's vast wildfires in …

US West Coast wildfire smoke has reached Europe
4 years, 3 months ago

US West Coast wildfire smoke has reached Europe

CNN  

London CNN — The wildfires devastating California and other parts of the western United States are the worst in 18 years, with vast amounts of thick smoke affecting large areas of the North America and even reaching Northern Europe, scientists said Wednesday. Noah Berger/AP An officer with Napa County Animal Control rescues a cat after the Glass Fire passed through …

Latest: Washington governor blames climate change for fires
4 years, 3 months ago

Latest: Washington governor blames climate change for fires

Associated Press  

The Latest on wildfires in the U.S. West : 3:30 p.m. SEATTLE — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee says the fires devastating California and the Northwest shouldn’t be called wildfires, but “climate fires.” At a news conference Friday, the Democrat noted that the roughly 980 square miles burned in Washington in just the last five days amounts to the state’s second …

Arctic Wildfires, Burning Since Mid-June, Released Record Amounts of CO2 This Year
4 years, 3 months ago

Arctic Wildfires, Burning Since Mid-June, Released Record Amounts of CO2 This Year

News 18  

This year’s Arctic Circle wildfires, still ablaze, have already surpassed the record set in 2019 for CO2 emissions, adding to the carbon pollution humanity needs to curtail, the European Union’s Earth observation programme said Thursday. “The Arctic fires burning since mid-June with high activity have already beaten 2019’s record in terms of scale and intensity,” said CAMS senior scientist Mark …

From ‘firenadoes’ to record heat, California extreme weather a glimpse of future
4 years, 4 months ago

From ‘firenadoes’ to record heat, California extreme weather a glimpse of future

LA Times  

Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland on Sunday. 2 / 24 LAKE HUGHES, CALIFORNIA AUGUST 15, 2020-Firefighters from the Santa Barbara County strike team tput out hot spots from the Lake Fire along Pine Canyon Road in Lake Hughes Saturday. 19 / 24 A home burns along Pine Canyon Road near Lake …

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