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Drought and heat have sparked devastating wildfires in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington in the United States. At least 36 people have died and some 220,000 people have been forced to flee the crisis.
According to the EU’s climate watchdog, Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), fires are 100 times more intense than their predecessors between 2003 and 2019.
“The fact that these fires emit so much pollution into the atmosphere that we can see thick smoke more than 8,000 kilometers away reflects how devastating they have been in size and duration,” researcher Mark Parrington said in a press release.
Smoke hits Sweden this weekend
CAMS uses satellite imagery to monitor the movement of smoke from the fire. In recent days, the smoke has been quiet off the coast of the United States, but now the winds have caused it to move towards North America and Canada. The smoke is expected to spread further during the week, reaching northern Europe and Sweden on Saturday, according to the CAMS forecast.
Leads to large emissions
CAMS also warns of large emissions into the atmosphere as a result of the crisis. The wildfires in California and Oregon are already said to have emitted more carbon dioxide than measured since measurements began in 2003.
In all, the fires are estimated to emit 30.3 megatons of carbon dioxide, of which 21.7 megatons in California.
– A good indicator of smoke thickness is the aerosol optical depth (AOD). Across the western United States, ODA levels have reached seven or more. To put it in perspective, an AOD measurement indicates potentially poor air quality and foggy conditions, Mark Parrington says in the press release.
Animals have been forced into cities to escape fires.
