SOS forest fires: why fire smoke can be reinjected into new sources

He climate change It is a problem that manifests itself recursively in our daily lives, with causes and consequences varied which only reconfirm the level of gravity hit. In this context, the Forest fires appear as a drama which, particularly in ArgentinaIt is progressing at an alarming rate. In the last days, the Iberá Wetlandsin the province of currents -And wet area of more than 10,000 square kilometres-, and the Los Alerces National Park, in Chubutwhere the source of fires which devastated thousands of hectares.

The biologist and Deputy Minister of the Environment of the Nation, Sergio Federoviskyspoke with GlobeLiveMedia and describes the situation in both parts of the country. “We have collected evidence and testimonies indicating that in both cases and mainly in Chubut, the fires started from intentional way. Today in Argentina it is technically forbidden to use fire, even for problems that are usually used. Lighting a fire there is a criminal act.

Second, Federovisky explained: “In the Chubut court, we filed a request to investigate whether the fire was indeed intentional. A national fire emergency declaration is in effect. There are a large number of provinces that have assumed this responsibility and have banned the use of fire in this context of such a harmful climate crisis.

For the next few days, the prognosis for Chubut and Corrientes “is not good”, according to the vice-minister. Because? “Because we are with high temperatures and, also, in the context of drought which has lasted for almost four uninterrupted years not only results in the temporary lack of rain, but also the vegetation is water stressed which means that any fire can spread quickly and violently”.

In relation to this kind of problem, science has a lot to contribute. Recently, a group of experts from Nanjing University, China, postulated that the impact of smoke generated by large forest fires can increase and feedback the intensity of the fire. Thus, an expansive effect is generated which can have catastrophic results for nature and humanity.

In the study published in the journal Science, the scientists noted: “Extreme wildfires threaten human life, air quality and ecosystems. Here, we show the primacy of synoptic-scale feedback in driving extreme fires and find that smoke effects can alter near-surface wind, drought, and precipitation, and thus worsen air pollution. air by increasing fire emissions and weakening their spread”.

To arrive at these results, the researchers collected data from Earth observation satellites and sensors. This information was fitted to a computer model that used chemical precision and meteorological data to track changes in the air and on the ground during large wildfires. The geographic regions studied were Southeast Asia and the West Coast of the United States.

As the authors described, soot from the fires caused a layer of smoke to be created over the area, and around it, trapping heat and blocking sunlight from reaching the ground, there was “a situation that led to thermal instability. Due to this instability, air was sucked under the smoke blanket, causing high-velocity winds. And the wind caused drier conditions, which made the fire more intense.”

To measure and understand the seriousness of this environmental problem, GlobeLiveMedia speak with Hernan Giardini, Coordinator of Greenpeace’s Forests and Climate Change Campaigns. “It is estimated that 95% of forest fires are due to human causes. We talk about intentionality, but also about accidents and negligence. When we talk about accidents, it can be a badly extinguished barbecue, cigarette butts, etc. When we talk about neglect, it means burning, for example, pasture to regrow livestock,” he explained.

And to add: “There are also, in some cases, fires to modify the use of land for agriculture, livestock or real estate development, so many causes are human. The remaining 5% of causes have to do with natural issues. There are many cases of thunderstorms with lightning that start a fire, but they are very few.

Another natural cause, according to Giardini, “is the La Niña phenomenon (NdelR: a natural process characterized by fluctuating ocean temperatures in the central and eastern part of the equatorial Pacific, according to the World Meteorological Organization). This phenomenon has generated a significant drought throughout South America, which creates favorable conditions for the fire sources to spread further and make their extinction much more difficult. »

“It is obvious that the drought has contributed to a greater area burned, not only of forests, but also of grasslands and wetlands. In addition, the climate crisis we are in is generating high temperatures and this is contributing to drought,” added the Greenpeace specialist.

In this order of ideas, for Giardini, “biodiversity is strongly affected, because when forests or wetlands are on fire, we are talking about the two ecosystems that concentrate the most terrestrial biodiversity: more than half of the animals, plants and insects are concentrated there”. Fires completely destroy everything and generate this direct impact as many endangered species are lost.

A Greenpeace report in 2023 indicates that forest and rural fires affected 120,000 hectares in Salta and Jujuy alone. In Chubut, the fire spread and reached Los Alerces National Park and Lake Cholila. The area affected there exceeds 1,400 hectares, while in Corrientes this environmental problem has already devastated more than 30,000.

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