Climate Change: CA Smoke Predicted To Reach Europe This Weekend

CALIFORNIA — Smoke plumes from the massive fires smoldering across the West Coast have now shrouded the entire continent, polluting air quality thousands of miles away. This weekend, that same smoke was forecasted to reach Europe, traveling almost 5,000 miles from its source.

This was reported by the European Union's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service Tuesday. Data from CAMS also revealed that fire activity in 2020 has been "tens to hundreds of times more intense than the 2003–2019 average in the US in general."

Subsequently, these fires have unleashed record-breaking amounts of carbon dioxide and particulate-matter pollution into the atmosphere in both California and Oregon, according to multiple reports. The season has triggered the first increase in wildfire emissions in the U.S. since 2015, Bloomberg Green reported.

Animated map shows the NASA smoke model of the current fires in the Pacific NW of the US. Source: https://t.co/69FexDYTjW pic.twitter.com/DBcaYFU0aP
— Simon Kuestenmacher (@simongerman600) September 15, 2020

Californians alone were hard pressed to find any relief this past week from heavy haze, a burning scent or in some places, ominous and apocalyptic orange skies. And even those on the East Coast were beginning to see hazy skies and particularly fiery sunsets Wednesday.

While the catastrophic fire season in California has already been dubbed the largest on record in terms of acreage burned, the worst could be yet to come. Forecasters have predicted La Nina conditions for the fall, which could keep California dry into the winter, extending the state's fire season into November.

In the meantime, residents of the Golden State and possibly across the nation could be at risk for merely stepping outside.

During wildfire season, hospitals tend to see more patients for respiratory issues, according to a study by University of California San Francisco. This is because the microscopic particles released by wildfire smoke can be inhaled deep into the lungs, according to Dr. John Balms, a professor of medicine at UCSF.

These particles can cause a range of health problems, from burning eyes and a runny nose to increased risk for chronic heart and lung diseases. Exposure to these particles has also been linked to premature death.

What a normal California September day would look like without wildfire smoke. #cawx pic.twitter.com/1EADhwWCA3
— NWS Sacramento (@NWSSacramento) September 13, 2020

“My advice to the public is that people should be sheltering in place as much as possible,” said Balmes said in UCSF's wildfire smoke study.

Now add in COVID-19, and things begin to get a little more complicated. While there is no current study published on the mixed effects of wildfire smoke on coronavirus, any prolonged exposure to smoke or pollution is sure to increase symptoms of those who do get sick.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns those in proximity to a wildfire, or anyone living in California, should pay close attention to local air quality reports, available here.

The agency also warned that surgical and cloth masks that are typically worn to protect against COVID-19, will not work for wildfire smoke. Particulate masks, N-95 or P-100 respirators will help if they fit well and are used correctly.

Most of all, people are advised to just stay home.

"Keep your windows and doors closed, unless it's extremely hot outside," the agency said. "Run your air conditioner, if you have one. Keep the filter clean to prevent bringing additional smoke inside."

At risk populations — older adults, children, pregnant women and those with heart or lung diseases should pay extra attention to air quality levels.

"Science knows very well what is going on here"

As smoke from the massive fires burning across the West Coast continues to veil the rest of the country, 17,000 first responders were working Wednesday to suppress walls of flame and even faced anomalies such as "firenados," many of which eluded firefighting abilities.

What's more is the fires had scorched 2.8 million acres in 31 days alone, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Wednesday.

Not only is this astounding, it's indicative of a much larger issue — a rapidly changing climate.

SEE ALSO: CA Fire Season Is Far From Over, Experts Say; 3.3M Acres Burn

It's no secret that California's fire seasons have become increasingly more devastating and massive in terms of acreage burned over the last decade, but the science behind it has put politicians and fire officials at odds over the years, especially in the past week.

"I don't think science knows, actually," President Donald Trump said during a visit to the Golden State Monday, informing a roundtable of fire and forestry experts that poor forest management was to blame for the catastrophic fire season, not rising climates.

“Science knows very well what is going on here,” Monica Turner, fire ecologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told The Washington Post.

During Monday's fire briefing, Wade Crowfoot, California secretary for Natural Resources, urged Trump to acknowledge California's rising summer and winter climates each year, insisting that the rapid shift needed to be addressed as a key factor in this year's wildfire season.

"That science is going to be key," Crowfoot said to the president during the Monday briefing. "If we ignore that science and sort of put our head in the sand and think it's all about vegetation management, we're not going to succeed together, protecting Californians."

The president told Crowfoot, "it'll start getting cooler, just you watch."

Despite Trump's assurance that climate change was not to blame, Newsom said he thought the meeting edged toward progress.

I do think we were heard and I think there’s a way of approaching people," Newsom said Wednesday. "To the extent that I expect the president of the United States to radically change course? No I do not, so we’ll continue to be stubborn as I imagine he will be as well in his point of view, but as I say it’s not a belief system."

Lately for Newsom, "unprecedented" has been the best descriptor for 2020's catastrophic fire season, fueled by record-breaking temperatures and tens of millions of dead trees around the state — which were caused by a historic drought.

While Trump has often pointed a finger at California's forest management, Newsom was swift to remind the president in person Monday that 57 percent of forest lands are federally owned.

As for rising temperatures, Los Angeles saw a record high of 120 degrees in a late August heatwave. And Newsom pointed out Wednesday that Climates have already been rising sharply during the summer and winter months since 1980.

"Data and science are not beliefs," he said. "You have to acknowledge facts."