homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Satellite shows cloud of carbon monoxide pollution from Amazon fires

Consequences of the Amazon fires continue to pop up.

Fermin Koop
August 27, 2019 @ 11:32 pm

share Share

The Amazon rainforest is burning, with hundreds of wildfires in Brazil and Bolivia that so far haven’t been stopped. New satellite imagery from NASA shows an enormous cloud of poisonous carbon monoxide rising from the devastation.

Credit: NASA

The images were taken from NASA’s Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument, aboard the Aqua satellite, and show the cloud evolving between Aug. 8 and Aug. 22. It starts first over Brazil, where the majority of the rainforest is located, and ultimately spreads to most of the northern part of South America.

“A pollutant that can travel large distances, carbon monoxide can persist in the atmosphere for about a month,” NASA wrote on its website. “At the high altitude mapped in these images, the gas has little effect on the air we breathe; however, strong winds can carry it downward to where it can significantly impact air quality. Carbon monoxide plays a role in both air pollution and climate change.”

The vast specter changes colors, going from green to yellow to red, which represents a rather large increase in carbon monoxide in the atmosphere. NASA said that green indicates concentrations of approximately 100 parts per billion by volume (ppbv), while yellow is indicative of 120 ppbv and dark red of 160 ppbv.

The normal concentration is considered at 100ppbv, according to the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research. Experiencing a higher level can lead to headache, dizziness, weakness, upset stomach, vomiting, chest pain, and confusion, all flu-like symptoms.

While the recently spotted cloud may float at too high an altitude to pose a serious risk on the ground, it’s not the only airborne hazard released by the ongoing wildfires. Last week, smoke from the fires traveled halfway across Brazil to blanket São Paulo in a midnight-black haze in the middle of the afternoon.

Brazil’s National Space Research Institute, which monitors deforestation, has recorded that the number of fires has risen by 85 percent to more than 77,000 in the last year, a record since the institute began keeping track in 2013. About half of the fires have been in the Amazon region, with many in just the past month.

At a summit in France, the Group of Seven nations pledged $20 million on Monday to help fight the flames in the Amazon and protect the rainforest, in addition to a separate $12 million from Britain and $11 million from Canada. Nevertheless, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has so far been reluctant to accept the funds.

share Share

Why You Should Stop Using Scented Candles—For Good

They're seriously not good for you.

We Might Be Ingesting Thousands of Lung-Penetrating Microplastics Daily in Our Homes and Cars — 100x More Than Previously Estimated

Microscopic plastic particles are everywhere and there's more than we thought.

Scientists Say Junk Food Might Be as Addictive as Drugs

This is especially hurtful for kids.

Southern Ocean Salinity May Be Triggering Sea Ice Loss

New satellite technology has revealed that the Southern Ocean is getting saltier, an unexpected turn of events that could spell big trouble for Antarctica.

A New AI Can Spot You by How Your Body Bends a Wi-Fi Signal

You don’t need a phone or camera to be tracked anymore: just wi-fi.

Satellite Eyes Reveal Which Ocean Sanctuaries Are Really Working (And Which Are Just 'Paper Parks')

AI and radar satellites expose where illegal fishing ends — and where it persists.

Humans Built So Many Dams, We’ve Shifted the Planet’s Poles

Massive reservoirs have nudged Earth’s axis by over a meter since 1835.

Golden Oyster Mushroom Are Invasive in the US. They're Now Wreaking Havoc in Forests

Golden oyster mushrooms, with their sunny yellow caps and nutty flavor, have become wildly popular for being healthy, delicious and easy to grow at home from mushroom kits. But this food craze has also unleashed an invasive species into the wild, and new research shows it’s pushing out native fungi. In a study we believe […]

Scientists Taught Bacteria to Make Cheese Protein Without a Single Cow

Researchers crack a decades-old problem by producing functional casein in E. coli

Moths Can Hear When Plants Are in Trouble and It Changes How They Lay Their Eggs

Researchers find moths avoid laying eggs on plants emitting ultrasonic distress clicks.