Wildfires in Spain and Canada set emissions records this spring | Science and the planet

As a result of the wildfires, Spain recorded the highest emission levels in history in March. Levels were as high as those from wildfires in 2012. Wildfires of this magnitude are still uncommon, but data from the Competency Assurance Management System (CAMS) shows that fire risks have increased due to the high temperatures and dry conditions that hit the continent in winter. the past.

In May, major wildfires raged in western Canada and in Russia’s border regions with Kazakhstan and Mongolia. Fires in those areas had higher-than-average intensity from 2003 to 2022, although total emissions estimated for May this month were similar to Mays in recent years.

look. An “unprecedented wildfire” in eastern Canada

Widespread wildfires have been raging in western Canada since early May. Parts of Canada had their highest emissions rates on record for the month of May, according to CAMS, breaking total records in the provinces of British Columbia, Saskatchewan, the Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia. In the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, the previous May emissions record (2 megatons of carbon) increased more than tenfold (23 megatons of carbon).

“As the Northern Hemisphere approaches summer, the risk of wildfires is expected to increase due to particularly higher temperatures and drier conditions,” said Mark Barrington, a Copernican scientist. “Monitoring these variables and the evolution of wildfires is critical to understanding the underlying causes and the effects on the atmosphere so that appropriate action can be taken.”