climate
Copernicus: Forest fires exceptional in northern hemisphere
Spain was exceptionally hard hit by forest fires this spring. photo
© Lorena Sopêna/EUROPA PRESS/dpa
Record issuance was recorded in several regions this year. Spain is particularly affected. But other countries are also suffering from the drought.
The northern hemisphere was exceptionally hard hit by wildfires this spring. This was announced today by the EU Atmosphere Service CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service). Record emissions were recorded in several regions.
The fires started very early this year. “Since March 23, CAMS scientists have observed significant fire activity in different regions of Spain,” the statement said. Valencia was particularly affected.
Affected Regions
As a result, Spain recorded record levels of emissions in May, previously only seen in 2012. The risk of forest fires has been exacerbated “by the high temperatures and drought that hit the continent last winter,” it said.
Fires in Canada, Kazakhstan, Mongolia and some neighboring regions of Russia were also above average. In May, one of the highest emission levels ever recorded was recorded in Canada. The province of Saskatchewan was hit particularly hard.
The previous emission record for this region in May was two megatons – this year it was surpassed by more than tenfold (23 megatons). Record levels of fire emissions were also achieved in the provinces of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia.
The Atmosphere Monitoring Service is one of several components of the European Union’s Copernicus programme. Among other things, it provides data on the atmosphere, oceans, land, climate change, security and energy obtained from satellite images.