The numerous and serious forest fires recorded this year in various areas of the northern hemisphere, from Hawaii and Canada to Siberia, passing through the Iberian Peninsula, the Canary Islands and Greece, have left a tragic balance both in terms of their environmental impact and the fatalities and damages. materials.
Furthermore, the burning of large areas of vegetation has led to an increase in the emission of smoke and gases into the atmosphere that, like carbon dioxide, contribute to climate change. The boreal fire season, which has not yet ended, leaves new records in various points, including that of greenhouse gas emissions in Canada, according to the provisional balance released this September 14 by the Atmosphere Monitoring Service of Copernicus project (CAMS).
“The northern hemisphere is slowly approaching the end of the wildfire season for 2023, which normally begins in May and runs until October. In this context, data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) on emissions of fires and smoke transport associated with forest fires provide valuable information to evaluate the most relevant forest fire episodes of recent months in a comprehensive manner,” indicates this scientific entity co-financed by the European Union.
During the late spring and summer of 2023, several devastating wildfires affected most provinces and territories in Canada. First detected in May, these wildfires have continued in several locations, causing great loss of life and property, as well as seriously affecting air quality not only in Canada but in other regions of North America. According to CAMS global forecasts and analyses, which assimilate satellite observations of atmospheric composition, some of the smoke plumes produced by these forest fires also reached Europe.
Copernicus experts note that “the scope, persistence and intensity of these wildfires have led to total estimated carbon emissions for 2023 being almost 410 megatonnes, the highest for Canada by a wide margin in the world.” CAMS data set.
The previous record for annual carbon emissions was 2014, with 138 megatonnes of carbon. At the time of this breaking news there are still active wildfires in several regions of Canada, and 2023 annual emissions may continue to increase, although the rate of increase appears to be leveling off. At this point, Canada’s wildfire emissions account for 27% of total global carbon emissions from wildfires by 2023.
CAMS Senior Scientist Mark Parrington comments: “Wildfires occur every summer in the boreal regions with different locations, intensity and duration depending on hydrological, meteorological and climatic conditions. As temperatures continue to rise and dry conditions become longer, the chances of experiencing devastating wildfires like those in Canada increase. “The ability we have to monitor wildfire emissions and smoke transport in CAMS is essential to understanding the scale and potential impacts on air quality.”
Other major episodes of forest fires during this last season include those that took place in Russia, more specifically in the provinces of Omsk, Novosibirsk and the Far Eastern Federal District. Importantly, even though Russia experienced wildfire emissions this year below the 20-year average, carbon emissions from June-August wildfires in the Arctic were the third highest on record, surpassed only by those of 2019 and 2020, mainly due to the high latitude. fires in the Northwest Territories of Canada.
Several Mediterranean regions also experienced significant wildfire activity as the season progressed. Between July and August, forest fires affected northern and central Greece, with emissions at this time of year being the third highest on record, after 2007 and 2021. The Iberian Peninsula also experienced significant forest fire activity, which It affected both Portugal and Spain, including one of the largest fires experienced in Tenerife. The island of Maui in Hawaii also experienced some intense and significant wildfires, the Copenicus interim report adds.
The European monitoring service CAMS recalls that its equipment provides updated information on the location, intensity and estimated emissions of forest fires around the world, including monitoring their smoke transport and their impacts on atmospheric composition. CAMS data is freely available for use and can serve as a vital aid in the decision-making processes for citizens, businesses and stakeholders in related sectors alike.
