Smoke from wildland fires, which have been burning within the Canadian province of Quebec for weeks, has crossed the Atlantic Ocean and darkened skies in southwestern Europe.

The Reasonable Decision Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite tv for pc acquired this picture within the morning (11:10 Common Time) on June 26, 2023. On the time, smoke drifted over northern Portugal and Spain. It additionally reached northward over different European nations past the scope of this picture.

NASA Earth Observatory photographs by Lauren Dauphin, utilizing MODIS knowledge from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview and GEOS-5 knowledge from the International Modeling and Assimilation Workplace at NASA GSFC.

The smoke’s widespread attain is obvious within the map above. It reveals a plume of black carbon particles — generally known as soot — spanning eastward from North America and throughout greater than 2,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean. The black carbon density knowledge come from NASA’s GEOS ahead processing (GEOS-FP) mannequin, which assimilates knowledge from satellite tv for pc, plane, and ground-based observing programs. Along with making use of satellite tv for pc observations of aerosols and fires, GEOS-FP incorporates meteorological knowledge like air temperature, moisture, and winds to venture the plume’s habits.

Hazy skies in Europe had been additionally noticed by a worldwide community of floor sensors known as the Aerosols Robotic Community, or AERONET. The community comprises greater than 500 Solar photometer devices that measure aerosol optical depth (AOD) around the globe. On the morning of June 26, AERONET sensors in northern Spain and France measured AODs better than 0.5. The AOD in these areas is often near 0.1. (For reference, a superbly clear sky would have an AOD of lower than 0.05, whereas an AOD of three would make it troublesome to see the Solar.)

But air high quality within the smoke-covered components of Europe on June 26 remained principally honest, in comparison with unhealthy and dangerous air high quality within the smoke-affected components of Canada and the US. That’s as a result of many of the smoke that reached Europe was increased within the ambiance, the place it’s much less prone to have an effect on human well being.

Smoke from wildfires in Canada has drifted proper throughout the Atlantic Ocean and is now evident on satellite tv for pc imagery throughout western Europe

🌅 While the smoke is excessive up within the ambiance, it might make for some vivid sunrises and sunsets within the subsequent few days pic.twitter.com/VSBPx0jH5n

— Met Workplace (@metoffice) June 26, 2023

Nonetheless, the smoke over Europe will probably be seen by individuals. In keeping with the UK Met Workplace, the smoke aerosols might contribute to vivid sunrises and sunsets.

Story by Kathryn Hansen, NASA Earth Observatory.

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