South America is experiencing record-breaking wildfires, causing “black rain,” green rivers and dangerous air pollution almost 50 times higher than levels recommended by the World Health Organization, according to air quality monitoring company IQair.
Between January 1 and September 16, the continent recorded 364,485 forest firessurpassing the 2007 record of 345,322 fires, according to data from Brazilian Institute of Space Research And Reuters.
That historic drought in the Amazon has exacerbated the spread of fires. Many fires are caused by human activity, but drought has created favorable conditions for their rapid spread. As a result, 60% of Brazil’s territory is currently affected by smoke.
Including neighboring countries and the Atlantic Ocean, the area affected by the toxic cloud now covers 4 million square miles (10 million square kilometers) — an area larger than the entire United States.
“That air quality in brazil it’s never been this bad,” Alessandra Fidelisa researcher at the Laboratory of Plant Ecology at the State University of São Paulo, told Live Science.
Natalia Gilan atmospheric science expert and member of the Department of Air Quality and Emissions at the Uruguayan Technological Laboratory, told Live Science that there has been a progressive decline in air quality in cities across southern Brazil, northern Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay and northeastern Uruguay.
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In recent weeks, Gil has observed “significant increases” in black carbon, particulate matter and gases such as ozone, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide in cities as far away as Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Londrina, Rio de Janeiro, Cochabamba and La Paz. In Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo, residents have experienced poor visibility for days due to thick clouds of smoke and black rain — precipitation that has turned dark due to a mixture of ash and soot — recorded in parts of the country. The same situation is occurring in 11 provinces of Argentinaincluding the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area.
Meanwhile in São Paulo, the Pinheiros River turned emerald green due to an algae bloom triggered by severe drought.
Paulo Saldivaa pathologist and professor at the University of São Paulo School of Medicine, compared the smoke produced by biomass burning to cigarette smoke, noting that both contain toxic substances that enter the body through the eyes, respiratory tract and lungs. In a metropolis like São Paulo, for example, the level of pollution from motor vehicles and industry is equivalent to smoking four to five cigarettes a day. However, for those exposed to forest fire smoke over a long period of time, the impact is the same as “lighting up one cigarette after another,” Saldiva said.
Environmental changes in recent decades, along with shifts in land use, have significantly altered fire patterns. Although Brazil has always had a dry season, The average number of consecutive days without rain has increased from 80 to 100 in the last decade.indicating worsening climate-related impacts, Fidelis said. “Forests are more vulnerable to fire, even with a decrease in deforestation rates. They are becoming more flammable,” Fidelis said.
In addition to changes in rainfall, increases in temperature, soil moisture and carbon dioxide levels can affect the timing, extent, duration, frequency and intensity of fires, Luis Lopez-Marsicoa researcher at the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences at the University of the Republic of Uruguay, told Live Science.
In most parts of Brazil, these changes are manifested in the form of increasing temperatures, decreasing rainfall, and most notably, an increase in the occurrence of extreme droughts, which are lengthening the so-called “fire season.”
All of this is the “new normal,” Fidelis said. “We need to start realizing that we are dealing with a new factor that we used to think of as a future scenario, but is now our reality: climate change,” he said.
