The fires that have devastated thousands of acres of the Amazon in recent weeks are not only destroying the home of countless species, but are also spewing enormous amounts of smoke in all directions. This deteriorates the surrounding air quality.
According to NASA satellite images, smoke from the fires can travel thousands of kilometers to settle in places as far away as the South Atlantic.
The movement of smoke from the fires is creating patches of aerosols that travel to concentrate in faraway places. An aerosol is a suspension of liquid or solid particles in the air, or some other gas, and can occur naturally (such as mist or dust), or be the result of some human event.
The fires have led to the formation of pyrocumulus clouds, also known as fire clouds. These clouds are not formed as a result of evaporation from the ground, but from smoke from fires. Their presence can inject contaminants into affected regions.
Yellow represents the highest concentrations of aerosols (Source: NASA)
The fires in western Brazil have generated level 2 aerosols on a scale of 5. Higher concentrations, up to 4, were observed on the southeast coast of Brazil as a result of the fires.
On September 13, it was determined that the largest concentration with this origin was thousands of kilometers away, in the South Atlantic. Other less intense ones were located in its vicinity and off the coast of Brazil.
NASA experts detected the presence of these aerosols through the use of the Suomi NPP satellite, specialized in climate monitoring, which has a detection system called “Aerosol Index” (AI).
The concentration is measured with a value from 0.0 to 5.0. The AI value is related to the thickness and height of the atmospheric aerosol layer. A value of 5.0 indicates elevated aerosol concentrations that could reduce visibility and/or affect human health.
The sun sets behind burned trees, in the area of #FlorestaAmazônica next to #PortoVelho Rondônia @AFPphoto by @CarldeSouza1 #Brazil #fires #environment #PrayforAmazon #PrayforAmazonia pic.twitter.com/mttWSa4KPX
— AFP Brazil (@AFPBrasil) August 29, 2019
As if the wildfires weren’t enough, humans and other living things hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away are at risk of harmful effects from the aerosols released by the burning.
The link between exposure to fine particulate matter in the atmosphere and adverse health effects has been well established by epidemiological studies. Inhaled particles can penetrate our lungs and adhere to their cells, as well as infiltrate the circulatory system and lodge in internal organs such as the liver.
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