The whole country is breathing smoke from the fire

Residents of New York and other areas of the East Coast subway have been battling the lowest air quality in these areas for more than a decade. But it’s not moving – it ‘s from a fire burning thousands of miles away. The Oregon Runaway Fire has already set fire to more than 340,000 acres of forest and grassland, and its smoke is circulating across the country.

Starting earlier this year, partly due to record-breaking heatwaves and widening droughts, this year’s fire season is expected to be wild – threatening farmland, forests and grasslands in the western United States and its effects far beyond From these states.

The heat from these larger fires sends smoke, black carbon, nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons into the atmosphere where they can form other harmful pollutants such as ozone. Larger fires often have enough heat and upward momentum to send their smoke into the free troposphere – above the air layer at ground level. there are fewer evacuation routes and stronger upper level winds here. That’s why they can travel such long distances.

Climate change is exacerbating extreme weather events

Fires such as the Bootleg fire are part of a series of extreme weather events affected by climate change.

Because warmer air can hold more moisture, higher than normal temperatures draw moisture from the soil and leaves. Water vapor itself is a powerful gas that traps heat, so further evaporation into the air will further increase the air temperature, causing more moisture to be drawn into the air. This is a positive feedback loop – “positive” because it is self-reliant, not because it is good for the environment.

Usually, the atmosphere is heated and then cooled, leaving the accumulation of moisture as rain in predictable summer patterns. On the contrary, as the atmosphere traps more heat, more humidity, torrential rains are more likely to flood communities later and cause massive floods such as those seen in Germany and China this summer. Our warmer oceans also contribute to heavier rainfall by increasing atmospheric humidity.

How do you protect yourself when the air quality is poor?

While hot and dry surface conditions continue in the western states, residents in other parts of the country are also suffering. Smoke from forest fires can cause significant damage to health, so people with heart disease, asthma and other ailments should plan their time outdoors carefully.

New tools can help. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has released a national forecast map showing both vertically integrated and near-surface smoke, allowing viewers to better predict when and where the worst smoke will be in their area.

And the Wildland Fire Interagency Air Quality Control Program shows real-time air quality data from privately owned control monitors and low-cost sensors. It offers trend forecasts and recommendations for those who are more sensitive to air pollution, along with up-to-date weather monitors across the country.

As a fan of outdoor activities, I find new tools like this very useful and I often plan my own outdoor activities using the information they provide. As an air quality scientist, I’m excited to see these advances in our ability to track and monitor air pollution, and I’re working on related online tools to help people understand their relationship to air pollution. As an environmentalist, I hope these tools were not necessary and I am grateful to be a member of an organization focused on reducing human impact on the climate.

It is not too late to slow down the pace of climate change if we take bold steps now.

Stay safe: The best way to protect your health during periods of intense smoke from fires is to stay indoors and keep the indoor air as clean as possible using air conditioning (recirculation function) or high efficiency airborne particle (HEPA) cleaner. .

If you need to spend time outdoors, an N-95 or P-100 respirator can reduce your exposure to particles. More instructions for respirators are available from the US EPA.