A plume of smoke emanating from the ongoing wildfires in Canada has crossed the Atlantic and now hangs over a small part of western Europe.
Images captured by NASA’s Terra satellite show the huge cloud of black carbon stretching across more than 2,000 miles of ocean and invading part of the skies over Portugal and Spain.
According to the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and the Atmosphere (IPMA), the “foreign plume” first reached the Azores islands on June 25 before continuing to the Iberian Peninsula.
Composed of fine particles and gases such as carbon monoxide, the cloud is expected to cast a haze over parts of Europe before dissipating on June 29.
Canada is currently in the midst of its most severe fire season on record, and the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service estimates a record 160 million tonnes of carbon have been released since May.
It should be mentioned that the Canadian Interagency Wildland Fire Center reports that there are currently 487 active fires across the country, of which 253 are classified as out of control.
According to the BBC, air pollution in places like Chicago and Michigan has now reached a level considered “very unhealthy”, although the situation is not as dire as it was in New York earlier this month.
In Europe, the smoke is reported to linger at altitudes above 3,280 feet, meaning it is unlikely to cause a deterioration in air quality or pose a threat to human health.
Keep reading:
· NY authorities warn of more toxic orange smoke from Canada between today and tomorrow due to new forest fires
The reasons for the toxic smoke coming from Canada
· “It smells horrible as if we had a fire going”