One story I haven't seen the national media talking much about is the number of wildfires there have been in 2014. Currently, massive fires are burning throughout the Pacific Northwest and Northwestern Canada. Large smoke plumes have effected the air quality as far east as Minnesota and Wisconsin, and as far south as Nevada.
One prominent scientist, Dr. Raymond Huff, who writes for the US Air Quality -The Smog Blog stated bluntly that "Canadian wildfires and fires in the Pacific Northwest have conspired to make much of the northern half of the US a hazy, smoky mess."
Here's a map showing the extent of the smoke plumes from these fires over the northern latitudes of North America, as of the end of last week:
Wildfires in the northern latitudes are not just limited to North America.
Major wildfires in Siberia are also contributing to the release of massive amounts of carbon, ash and soot into the atmosphere.
More than one thousand people were evacuated from their homes in the Sakha Republic - also known as Yakutia - which is the largest region of the Russian Federation, while states of emergency are also in effect in other major regions such as Kransnoyarsk and Irkutsk.
Famed for its cold and permafrost, Sakha is now under siege from wildfires.
Vyacheslav Popov, head of the republic's Forestry Department, said: 'The area of wildfires doubled. There are 37 active wildfires in the republic right now covering the territory of 76,000 hectares. There is a threat to eight settlements in five areas of Yakutia''
'The biggest number if wildfires are here in Vilyui district', said the the local administration head, Sergey Vinokurov.
'They all started at the same time because of so-called 'dry thunderstorms' which we had last week.
As one blog noted, '[t]he northern hemisphere is on fire.' And these fires will only increase the likelihood of further warming and speed up climate change, particularly in the Arctic.
The amount of acres burned in the Northwest Territories is six times greater than the 25-year average to-date according to data from the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center. Brian Kahn, of Climate Central writes:
Boreal forests like those in the Northwest Territories are burning at rates "unprecedented" in the past 10,000 years according to the authors of a study put out last year. The northern reaches of the globe are warming at twice the rate as areas closer to the equator, and those hotter conditions are contributing to more widespread burns.
The combined boreal forests of Canada, Europe, Russia and Alaska, account for 30 percent of the world’s carbon stored in land, carbon that's taken up to centuries to store. Forest fires like those currently raging in the Northwest Territories, as well as ones in 2012 and 2013 in Russia, can release that stored carbon into the atmosphere and contribute to global warming. Warmer temperatures can in turn create a feedback loop, priming forests for wildfires that release more carbon into the atmosphere and cause more warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's landmark climate report released earlier this year indicates that for every 1.8°F rise in temperatures, wildfire activity is expected to double.
In addition, soot from forest fires can also darken ice in the Arctic and melt it faster. The 2012 fires in Siberia released so much soot that they helped create a shocking melt of Greenland’s ice sheet. Over the course of a few weeks in July that year, 95 percent of the surface melted. That could become a yearly occurrence by 2100 if temperatures continue to rise along with wildfire activity.
We are beginning to realize the viscious cycle in whch we are trapped. Use of fossil fuels increases drought in many areas of the world covered by forest and grasslands. Then those areas become literal "tinderboxes" and end up burning at rates not seen in the past 10,000 years. These fires, in turn, increase the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, either through burning wood, or by releasing methane previously trapped in the Arctic tundra, which leads to ... well, you know what it leads to, don't you?
The danger to the world should be obvious to all by now. More and more people I meet or contact via travel or over the internet, almost invariably use the word "weird" as a modifier to describe the weather where they live. In fact, I cannot recall the last time someone did not use "weird" in a weather related conversation. From the polar vortex this past winter (and briefly this summer), to tropical storms, drought, tornadoes and tornado warnings in places where they simply never happen, too flooding and other climate related extreme weather events, your average person knows that our "new normal" isn't the way things used to be.
Yet, in Congress, and in many other governments around the world, little is being done to address our situation. Our news media and even many online websites that focus on political and policy issues have become caught up in the 24 hour news cycle, where the effects of climate change has little cachet next to the latest rounds of violence in the Ukraine or Gaza, say.
Meanwhile, to reiterate, the world is literally burning.
A brief and non-exclusive summary of some of the major wildfire events in North America this year is beneath the orange squiggle, starting with the current and extensive fires in Washington and Oregon. Please consider, sending a link of this post to your local congress critters, as well as posting it to whatever social media you use on a regular basis.
Thank you.
Currently:
Pacific Northwest:
Link
On Tuesday, the Carlton Complex fires in Central Washington burned at least 7,000 more acres overnight.
The fire in the Methow Valley has burned 250,136 acres and the Forest Service said it is 16 percent contained, mainly on the west side of the fire.
A new fire started Monday night called the Bug Road Fire. It's spreading quickly east of Tonasket.
Link (with interactive map of fire outbreaks)
Washington and Oregon are currently under siege from at least 20 major wildfires across the two states, fueled by dry, windy conditions. Both states, particularly Oregon, have been hit hard by drought, leading to dry foliage that's easily ignited by lightning strikes.
Link
More than 3,500 people, including fire crews from all over the country and National Guard troops in Washington and Oregon, have been battling the fires. Spreading mostly across sparsely populated areas, the fires have a vast scope: Less than a week into the typical three-month fire season in Washington and Oregon, the total area of scorched ground is already higher than in any full year in at least a decade. [...]
The fires are having a stunningly visible impact in another way: A vast plume of smoke from them has drifted east and, along with smoke from a huge series of fires in the Northwest Territories in Canada, is spewing ash particulates across much of the United States from the Gulf of Mexico to New England, according to satellite imagery.
Western Canada and the Northwest Territories:
Link
Residents in Yellowknife were warned to stay indoors Tuesday morning after the air quality index went above 10 because of smoke from nearby wildfires.
The Air Quality Health Index was expected to dip to eight Tuesday night and into Wednesday. Eight is still considered high risk. [...]
Forest fires have destroyed more than 893,000 hectares in the Northwest Territories. Lightning has been blamed for the majority of fires in the territory.
In British Columbia some residents remain out of their homes while hundreds remain on standby as crews battle wildfires.
Link
More than 1000 Canadian residents of British Columbia, who had to evacuate due to wildfire, were allowed to return to their homes. They were, on the other hand, asked to be prepared for further evacuation, if required. The residents were evacuated on Sunday, July 20.
Emergency Info B.C. issued an official statement on the reason why the residents should be further prepared. It said that the wildfire was still active. "The Smith Creek Fire is still active, and residents returning to their homes will remain on evacuation alert and should be prepared to leave their homes on short notice," the statement said.
Utah:
Link
Resurgent wildfires had rural Tooele County residents ready to evacuate their homes and farms at a moment’s notice on Tuesday, but crews believed they were slowly turning back the threat.
The Anaconda Fire had burned 1,100 acres in Pine Canyon, east of Tooele. It was sparked by lightning on Sunday and had been thought all-but-tamed until winds kicked up flames Monday afternoon. [...]
Meanwhile, Morgan County’s Tunnel Hollow Fire quintupled in size overnight and had topped 1,200 acres as Tuesday drew to a close.
"With the wind and hot, dry weather we’re expecting a lot more activity on this fire," Fire Information Officer Jason Curry said.
Idaho:
Link
A round of thunderstorms late Sunday night brought lightning strikes but apparently no new fires to the Boise National Forest, where officials say firefighters have the upper hand on the 9,600-acre Whiskey Complex fires. The fires were sparked by lightning one week earlier.
Arizona:
Link
Four people died after a single-engine plane crashed in rough terrain four miles northwest of Sedona, sparking a brush fire in Fay Canyon, Coconino National Forest officials said.
Link
Coconino National Forest officials are actively managing four lightning-caused fires. All are burning at a low intensity on the forest floor. As on the Kaibab National Forest, these fires are being used to increase safety, reduce fuels and for vegetation and wildlife habitat restoration.
California:
Link
Firefighters are on edge as a strong high-pressure system moves over Northern California on Wednesday, delivering gusty winds that could flare up fires smoldering after thousands of lightning strikes in the past week.
The wild weather system that created more than 20,000 lightning strikes over the state in the past week -- including dozens in the Bay Area -- is over. Recent clouds, rain and drama will be replaced by cobalt blue skies and temperatures soaring to 105 degrees in the inland areas.
But it left behind a new worry: so-called "holdover fires."
"Lightning can hit a tree and just hang out," particularly after rain, said Brenda Belongie, a meteorologist with the U.S. Forest Service in Redding, which tracks fires. "It can smolder for several weeks. Think of a long, slow, glowing ember.
"Then, when it warms up and dries, a fire emerges," she said.
Earlier this year:
Alaska:
Funny River Fire
As of [June 4, 2914] the Funny River fire, located within the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska has burned through almost 200,000 acres of land since it was ignited well over two weeks ago and fire officials are still having a hard time containing the blaze.
The most recent update from InciWeb, posted in the evening hours of Tuesday June 4, shows that the Funny River fire has destroyed 193,597 acres -- or 302.9 square miles -- of land. According to a representative of the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center this fire is the largest one ever recorded in the Kenai Peninsula.
Arizona: April, 2014 - June, 2014 Timeline
San Diego May, 2014 Wildfires:
Link
The May 2014 San Diego County wildfires were a swarm of wildfires that erupted during May 2014, in San Diego County, California during severe Santa Ana Wind conditions and a heat wave. The main event during mid-May was preceded by a precursor fire that ignited on May 5. The severe weather conditions contributed to the spread of at least 19 more individual wildfires, with ten of them receiving names. The Bernardo Fire has been declared accidental, and officials believe the Cocos Fire was intentionally set. The causes of the other fires are still under investigation by multiple agencies, and a joint task force was formed to coordinate the investigations and facilitate communications.[4] Six injuries and one fire-related fatality have been reported.
At least eight major (named) fires were burning simultaneously at the height of the event, as well as several unnamed small brush fires.[5] Smoke from the fires prompted health advisories in parts of Orange and Los Angeles counties.[6] On May 17, the Santa Ana winds ceased and temperatures lowered from 98 °F into the mid-90s, giving hope to firefighters. On May 18, weather conditions had returned to seasonal normal, with lower temperatures in the lower 80s and higher humidity. Most of the fires were fully contained at that point, including the Poinsettia Fire, Highway Fire, River Fire, Freeway Fire, Bernardo Fire, and the Tomahawk Fire. The San Mateo Fire was extinguished on May 20, with the Tomahawk and Cocos Fires following on May 21 and 22 respectively.