‘Significant’ wildfire activity reported in North America and Europe

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) has reported ‘significant’ wildfire activity in North America and Europe during June and July, particularly in Canada and southern Europe.

In Canada, daily emissions levels have been consistently above the historical average since May, as large-scale wildfires impacted Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario. As of the end of July, the cumulative total estimated emissions for Canada was 180 megatonnes of carbon, making it one of the most extreme wildfire years of the past two decades.

“For the third year in a row, we have been monitoring emissions and smoke transport from a large number of intense Canadian wildfires,” commented Mark Parrington, senior scientist of the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.

US and Europe

In the United States, meanwhile, wildfires in Arizona and New Mexico were at, or close to, record levels, with California also recording significant activity.

In Europe, meanwhile, in Greece and Turkey, wildfires in June and July produced some of the highest emissions in the region’s 23-year monitoring history, while Cyprus and several Balkan states also experienced increased activity.

Large wildfires were also reported in France, Catalonia, and Portugal, with renewed activity in Spain and northern Portugal toward the end of July. Even the UK recorded its highest annual wildfire emissions, largely due to wildfires in northern Scotland.

‘Unusual in their severity’

“Wildfires are a common occurrence in the boreal regions during the summer months but the most recent years have been unusual in their severity and duration,” Parrington added.

“These fires, and those burning around southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean, have been disastrous for affected communities, and the scale of the emissions, and the distances over which the smoke has been travelling, are a reflection on this. At CAMS, we monitor events such as these in order to understand how they affect the atmosphere and air quality regionally and globally.” Read more here.