Large plumes of smoke billowing from wildfires in the Canadian province of Quebec billow into western Europe today. The densest parts of the cloud hit northwest Iberia and Ireland, and reached the foothills as far as Germany. Models of the European Union’s Copernicus Earth Observation Program are shownThe bulk of the aerosol column will reach southern and central Britain on Wednesday and will move southwest across Germany and France later in the week. However, most smoke particles are at high altitudes, so the overall effect on air quality on Earth should be small. However, one can expect relatively hazy skies and – due to the scattering of smoke particles – stunning sunsets.
The cause is the same smoke that has clouded the east coast of the United States during severe wildfires in Canada in recent weeks. The thick smoke in New York, in particular, made headlines. The now prevailing westerly wind pushed a giant aerosol cloud across the Atlantic Ocean. It is more than 3,000 km from east to west and about 2,000 km from north to south, as shown by satellite data. It’s not uncommon for that smoke to drift towards us – it’s heading towards us now, but it is.
Typically, air masses migrate from Canada along the jet stream, which is a strong, high-altitude wind that stretches from west to east, across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. However, in the past few weeks A jet stream extending far to the south diverted the flow of air and smoke from Canada to the south. This led to a rise in smoke pollution in parts of the United States of America. However, meanwhile, the stream flowing from west to east began again, which, for example, also brings us regular depressions in the Atlantic Ocean. She’s blowing smoke at us now. However, there is no need to worry that sights such as those in New York now also threaten Europe: particles from the lower layers of air have long fallen to the ground or been washed away, and the smoke has also thinned. at higher altitudes. However, it is possible that the smoky mountain air mixes locally with the lower air layers, so that fine dust pollution on the ground increases appreciably.
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