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The 2023 Canadian forest fires released about 640 million metric tons of carbon, according to a @NASA study. That’s comparable to the annual fossil fuel emissions of a large industrialized nation. The fires were driven by Canada’s warmest and driest conditions in decades.
If events like these become more typical, they could impact global climate. That’s because Canada’s vast forests make up one of the planet’s important carbon sinks, meaning that they absorb more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than they release.
In this animation showing data from summer 2023, carbon monoxide from Canada wildfires curls thousands of miles across North America. Lower concentrations are shown in purple; higher concentrations are in yellow. Red triangles indicate fire hotspots.
Image Description:
Data visualization over a map of North America. Most of the land is purple, which indicates lower concentrations of carbon monoxide. Large yellow and orange swirls start at fire hotspots in Canada and then sweep across the U.S. A color bar at the top of the video relates color to the concentration of carbon monoxide from Canada wildfires.
#Wildfires #Carbon #CarbonMonoxide #FireSeason #Canada
