Canadian wildfire smoke seen in Ireland and across Northern Europe

SMOKE from wildfires burning in central Canada has drifted thousands of miles across the Atlantic, arriving in Ireland and other parts of northwestern Europe, according to European climate researchers.

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), an environmental agency under the European Union’s Earth observation programme, has been tracking the movement of wildfire smoke since the start of May.

Using satellite data, CAMS confirmed that a large plume originating from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario reached Ireland on Sunday, June 1. Additional plumes are expected to spread further into Europe later this week.

“Wildfires are a frequent occurrence in boreal forests from spring through summer,” said Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at CAMS. “But the intensity of fires we've seen in Canada this year, particularly in central regions, is extraordinary.”

CAMS analysis shows that while the smoke has visibly affected the sky, producing hazy skies and vibrant sunsets, the smoke is travelling at high altitudes, meaning they won’t have a major effect on air quality in Europe.

However, elsewhere the fires have already caused a lot of damage. More than 25,000 people in Canada have been forced to evacuate, prompting officials in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba to declare month-long states of emergency.

U.S. states near the Canadian border have also experienced low air quality as the smoke drifts south.

The fires are part of what experts warn could become an intense wildfire season in Canada, exacerbated by ongoing drought, that’s also affecting northern Europe.

Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service has facilities across all of Europe (Photo by CAMS)

Similar wildfires are happening across Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District, in the regions of Buryatia and Zabaykalsky Krai near the borders with China and Mongolia.

According to CAMS, carbon emissions from fires in that area have reached their highest levels for this time of year since 2018. Smoke from those Russian blazes has been detected as far away as northeastern China, northern Japan and even the Arctic.

While current forecasts suggest only minor health risks from the smoke in Europe, Parrington claimed that the increasing reach of these wildfires add to growing concerns about the long-term effects of climate change and global air quality.

Going into further detail Parrington said, "The fact that we can notice the impacts of the smoke in European skies is a reflection of the devastation of wildfires which have been burning in Canada, indicating the increased number of fires, intensity, and duration. A lot of smoke has to be generated in order for it to travel so far and be noticeable and shows how people on either side of the Atlantic are connected via the atmosphere."

As we come up to the drier summer months, monitoring agencies like CAMS will continue to track these plumes across Ireland and northern Europe.