Scientists at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences evaluated the impact of the worst wildfires in Canada in 2023 on air quality around the world. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Advances in Atmospheric Sciences (AAS).
The record-breaking fires in Canadian forests this spring and summer made headlines around the world not only because of their size (the largest in the country’s history) but also because of how severely they affected the composition of the atmosphere.
The team used a computer model developed in-house as a module within the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ broader Earth system model.
The analysis found that fires in Canada caused a significant deterioration in air quality in the Northern Hemisphere due to long-distance transport of pollutants by wind.
The model suggests that during particularly severe air pollution, PM2.5 ash and soot microparticles (2.5 micrometers in diameter) cross the Atlantic Ocean and cover large areas in Europe and Central and East Asia. This meant that maximum PM2.5 concentrations exceeded 1 microgram per cubic meter in most regions of the Northern Hemisphere, and in northwestern China microdust content increased to 2 micrograms per cubic meter of air.
The atmosphere most affected by the fires was Canada, where PM2.5 concentrations were 10 times above the safe level recommended by the World Health Organization.
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