Canadian wildfires already producing record carbon emissions as season enters peak
Early analysis of atmospheric data shows wildfire emissions produced 160 megatonnes of carbon emissions, the highest annual total since 2003, according to Europe’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.
Pilot shows reduced visibility at New York airport amid ongoing wildfire smoke crisis
A pilot who was due to fly out of New York’s LaGuardia Airport on June 7 recorded video showing the surreal orange haze encompassing the facility.
Canada’s wildfire season is entering its peak months and the blazes have already set new records across parts of the country for acres burned. Early analysis showed the fires have also set a record for the highest annual total for estimated emissions in the last 20 years.
Starting in western Canada before reaching every province, the wildfires have been fueled by dry and warm conditions. Wildfire activity began increasing in May and intensified throughout June, sending smoke down through the U.S. and creating some of the worst air quality on record in New York.
With more than 7.8 million hectares (19 million acres) and nearly 3,000 fires this season, the exact toll of the fires continues to mount.
The European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, or CAMS, monitors air quality, emissions and other atmospheric data. On Tuesday, the group released its initial findings on the devastating Canadian wildfires sending smoke into the U.S. and as far away as Europe.
According to the group, the Canadian wildfires have released 160 megatonnes of carbon emissions, the highest annual total for Canada since CAMS started the Global Fire Assimilation System database 20 years ago.
WHERE IS THE CANADIAN WILDFIRE SMOKE HEADED NEXT?
Daily total fire radiative power in May-June (left), June total estimated wildfire carbon emissions (up to 26 June for 2023) (left) and total wildfire carbon emissions for Canada (right). (Source: CAMS)
"Our monitoring of the scale and persistence of the wildfire emissions across Canada since early May has shown how unusual it has been when compared to the two decades of our dataset," CAMS Senior Scientist Mark Parrington said in a statement. "The long-range transport of smoke that we are currently monitoring is not unusual, and not expected to have any significant impact on surface air quality in Europe, but it is a clear reflection of the intensity of the fires that such high values of aerosol optical depth and other pollutants associated with the plume are so high as it reaches this side of the Atlantic."
CAMS data shows a majority of the carbon emissions came from the first three weeks in June, which was responsible for more than 100 megatonnes in carbon emissions.
The group said emissions were close to the mean at the start of the wildfire season but quickly overtook any previous year’s emissions on CAMS' records.
CAMS scientists also compared the intensity of the fires, known as fire radiative power, and which fires produce greater carbon emissions.
![Tourists walk on the National Mall as smoke from wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2023. Residents of the nation's capital woke Wednesday to an acrid smell and cloudy skies despite sunny weather. Washington authorities warned that the air quality was "unhealthy for people with heart or lung disease, older adults, children and teens" and canceled all outdoor activities in public schools, including sports lessons. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)]()
Image 1 of 11Tourists walk on the National Mall as smoke from wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2023. (SAUL LOEB / AFP)
![A man surfs in the St-Lawrence river with the smoke caused by the wildfires in Northern Quebec in the background in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 25, 2023.]()
Image 2 of 11A man surfs in the St-Lawrence river with the smoke caused by the wildfires in Northern Quebec in the background in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 25, 2023. Montreal had the worst air quality in the world according to IQ Air. Environment Canada issued a Smog warning because of the smoke and discouraged exercise and spending too long outdoors. Environment Canada also suggested the use of N95 face masks. The smoke is expected to pass by June 26, 2023 afternoon. (Photo by ANDREJ IVANOV / AFP) (Photo by ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![A view of the city as the smoke from forest fires reaching to the center of Ottawa again with the effects of wind, in Canada on June 25, 2023.]()
Image 3 of 11A view of the city as the smoke from forest fires reaching to the center of Ottawa again with the effects of wind, in Canada on June 25, 2023. (Photo by Kadri Mohamed/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) ( )
![Montreal Smoke Quebec Fire]()
Image 4 of 11People look out at the city as smoke is seen from the chalet on top of the Mont Royal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on June 5, 2023. (ANDREJ IVANOV/AFP)
![A water taxi at the Inner Harbor as smoke from Canada wildfires blankets Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Thursday, June 8, 2023. The US Northeast will continue to breathe in choking smoke from fires across eastern Canada for the next few days, raising health alarms across impacted areas. Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images]()
Image 5 of 11A water taxi at the Inner Harbor as smoke from Canada wildfires blankets Baltimore, Maryland, US, on Thursday, June 8, 2023. The US Northeast will continue to breathe in choking smoke from fires across eastern Canada for the next few days, raising health alarms across impacted areas. Photographer: Ting Shen/Bloomberg via Getty Images ( )
![A Delta Airbus A320 airplane takes off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on June 8, 2023, as smoke from wildfires in Canada blankets the area. Smoke from Canadian wildfires have shrouded the US East Coast in a record-breaking smog, forcing cities to issue air pollution warnings and thousands of Canadians to evacuate their homes. The devastating fires have displaced more than 20,000 people and scorched about 3.8 million hectares (9,390,005 acres) of land. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described this wildfire season as the country's worst ever. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)]()
Image 6 of 11A Delta Airbus A320 airplane takes off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, on June 8, 2023, as smoke from wildfires in Canada blankets the area. (SAUL LOEB / AFP)
![Smoke From Canadian Wildfires Blankets US Cities]()
Image 7 of 11Visitors walk past American flags at the Washington Monument shrouded in smoke from Canada wildfires in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, June 8, 2023. The US Northeast will continue to breathe in choking smoke from fires across eastern Canada for the next few days, raising health alarms across impacted areas. Photographer: via Getty Images (Al Drago/Bloomberg)
![US-CANADA-FIRE-POLLUTION]()
Image 8 of 11A Delta Airbus A321 airplane takes off into a smoke haze from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Virginia, June 8, 2023, as smoke from wildfires in Canada blankets the area. (SAUL LOEB / AFP)
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Image 9 of 11The Lincoln Memorial is seen as smoke from wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in Washington, DC, on June 7, 2023. A Code Red Air Quality Alert, for unhealthy and unsafe air, is in effect Wednesday for the Washington area. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP) (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images) ( )
![People take photos of the sun as smoke from the wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in New York City on June 7, 2023.]()
Image 10 of 11People take photos of the sun as smoke from the wildfires in Canada cause hazy conditions in New York City on June 7, 2023. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP)
![Air quality hit harmful levels across eastern US from Canada's wildfires]()
Image 11 of 11Scenes across New York City are seen on June 7, 2023, amid hazy conditions due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. People in the city other areas are expected to have another day of bad air Thursday due to smoke from the Canadian wildfires. Air quality advisories continue to be in place for all five boroughs of the city of more than 8 million people. (Ezio Cairoli)
CAMS fire radiative power data for June shows the intensity of the Quebec wildfires was significantly higher than in the same period over the past 20 years.
In May and June, wildfire carbon emissions for Quebec were around 3.5 megatonnes, the highest since 2013 and are just an early estimate, according to CAMS. Meanwhile, carbon emissions from wildfires in Ontario are the highest since 2003.
The data also showed fire intensity has been greater than the mean of fires between 2003-2022 for the same period.
The Canadian wildfire season usually peaks in the summer and ends in September. Millions across the U.S. and Canada will continue to face more air quality alerts as hundreds of fires burn out of control.