The smoke, which significantly deteriorates local air quality, is expected to move eastward in the coming days.
Deadly bushfires ravage the north Portugal They have record emissions, according to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS). Portugal noted that there have been many fires since September 14. Estimated highest total emissions for September 22 years of CAMS data. This includes both carbon emissions and harmful particle pollutants such as PM10 and PM2.5.
Exposure to particle pollution serious health consequencesespecially in vulnerable groups such as young people, the elderly and people with respiratory problems.
PM2.5 consists of particles with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less. potential public health impacts They are more important because they can penetrate deep into the respiratory system and potentially enter the bloodstream.
Prime Minister on Tuesday Luis Montenegro A “state of disaster” was declared in the most affected areas. almost on wednesday 4,000 firefighters More than 1,000 vehicles and nearly 30 aircraft were responding to 42 active fires.
Civil Protection recorded five deaths, apart from two civilian deaths from the fire. Sudden fire related illness. Three of those killed were firefighters fighting the flames. More than 150 people were injured in the incident, 12 of them seriously.
The Portuguese Government made a statement on Friday, September 20. national day of mourning in memory of the victims.
Firefighters had most areas under control on Thursday. fires problems in the north of the country and improved weather conditions helped overcome the remaining problems. Almost all of the fires were extinguished by early Friday morning.
The fires started last weekend intense heat and strong windsand nearly 100,000 hectares were burned in just five days.
Smoke will spread to France and Spain in the coming days
Carbon emissions can be used as an indicator of the severity of fires. HE the estimated sum of these emissions By September 18 it was 1.9 megatonnes of carbon. This figure is almost double the previous record of nearly one megaton set in 2003.
“Our data shows that Significant increase in emissions from fires and the impact of smoke on atmospheric composition and air quality reflect the high intensity rapidly evolving with these devastating fires in northern Portugal,” said CAMS Chief Scientist Mark Parrington.
an expected “Significant deterioration” of air quality The atmospheric monitoring service says that these forest fires will occur in Northern Portugal in the next few days. Concentrations of fine particle pollutants known as PM2.5 are expected to remain high until at least September 25.
Pillars of smoke from the fires have moved towards the area so far. Atlanticbut in the next few days They could withdraw from the north of the Iberian Peninsula via the Bay of Biscay. and towards the west of France.
Climate change is making fires more frequent and intense
A study conducted earlier this year discovered this climate change The frequency and severity of the world’s most severe forest fires are increasing.
More than 20 years of satellite data NASA showed that the frequency of severe fires more than doubled between 2003 and 2023. Additionally, fires were 2.3 times more intense; Six of the most extreme years have occurred since 2017.
Inside EuropePortugal has been one of the countries most affected by the epidemic in recent years.
