Wildfires spread as hottest day recorded

Numerous severe wildfires have erupted across the northern hemisphere during early summer, sending massive smoke plumes over Eurasia and North America.

Studies by the European Union's climate monitor found that intense wildfires had been growing since late spring and throughout summer, with many burning in Canada, Alaska and eastern Russia.

These wildfires, typically occurring after extended hot and dry periods in vegetation-rich areas, have released increased amounts of carbon and smoke into the air, with the smoke now drifting further northward, even crossing the Arctic Ocean to reach the far north, reported the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, or CAMS.

Emissions from Russian wildfires in June and July were higher than for the preceding two years, and fires in the region of Amur Oblast led to the estimated release of 17.2 megatons of carbon for the two-month period, the highest in 22 years, said CAMS. Russia's official data reveal fewer wildfires this year, but a 50 percent larger affected area.

Canada has also had some of its highest totals on record, with total carbon emissions of 11.1 megatons and 13.2 megatons for British Columbia and Alberta respectively across June and July.

Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at CAMS, said, "We have been closely monitoring boreal fires in CAMS over a number of years and noted some particularly extreme wildfire emissions and atmospheric impacts during that time, particularly in Canada, eastern Russia and the Arctic."

The growing number and intensity of wildfires are significantly contributing to the rise in smoke emissions, reported The Guardian newspaper.

Guillermo Rein, a professor of fire science in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College London, said: "In recent years the fire season is expanding, starting earlier and lasting longer. But it's not just the fact the wildfire season is widening, it's also that the intensity of wildfire season is becoming unprecedented."

The surge in smoke emissions resulting from these fires have caused extremely high air pollution levels and can potentially lead to a range of health problems, one expert told the Guardian.

"In the short term, the most obvious complications are to respiratory systems, proving particularly dangerous for people who have underlying conditions like asthma, heart disease and lung disease," said Marina Romanello, a research fellow at the UCL Institute for Global Health.

"However, as the incidence of wildfires is increasing, people are being repeatedly exposed to acute levels of wildfire related air pollution, increasing their risk of developing chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease and cancer," she added.

Rein said although the projected carbon emissions from wildfires in 2024 are high, they haven't yet reached the devastating levels of the 2023 season, during which large parts of North America saw unprecedented concentrations of very small harmful particulates in the smoke, known as PM2.5.