When areas on maps are given a deep red tint, that rarely bodes well. So it is also on this animation of Nasa: It shows high carbon monoxide emissions, which go back to the forest fires in Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.
The concentration was recorded at a height of about 5500 meters, for which researchers used the infrared instrument Airs (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) of the research satellite "Aqua", which is used for the observation of the Earth's ecosystems.
According to Nasa, the animation shows the concentrations from 8 to 22 August 2019. During this period, the amount of dangerous carbon monoxide (CO) over the northwestern Amazon increases and then drifts in a more concentrated cloud towards the southeast of the continent and to the west on the Pacific.
The green color in the animation indicates concentrations of about 100 parts per billion by volume (ppbv), yellow about 120 ppbv and dark red about 160 ppbv. The local values can be significantly higher. The average concentration of carbon monoxide in the earth's atmosphere is about 90 ppbv, in the southern hemisphere it is 50 ppbv. Globally, about 2,500 megatons of carbon monoxide enter the atmosphere each year or are formed there, around 50 percent of which is caused by fossil combustion processes.
Victor Moriyama / Greenpeace Brazil HANDOUT / EPA-EFE / REX
Carbon monoxide is produced by the combustion of carbonaceous substances such as coal, gas and petrol - or wood. The substances do not burn completely. Carbon monoxide is next to carbon dioxide and methane, a greenhouse gas, which is partly responsible for global warming.
Environmental researchers have already warned that the fires in Brazil have a negative impact on the climate. The non-governmental organization The Nature Conservancy expects every hectare of Amazon forest to bind 459 tonnes of climate-damaging carbon dioxide. If the forest burns or is cleared and the wood used, the carbon dioxide sooner or later returns to the cycle of nature.
Global SuperTanker
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless and tasteless substance that is toxic to humans. It can cover great distances in the atmosphere. At the altitude shown in these pictures, however, the gas has little effect on the air we breathe. However, strong winds can carry it down where it can significantly reduce air quality.
In Brazil, many people have received medical treatment for flue gases, which include carbon monoxide and other substances. Dense clouds of smoke passed through the cities in the heavily affected states of Roraima and Rondônia. In the capital, Porto Velho, people complained of respiratory problems. The state of Amazonas had already declared a state of emergency. Even distant regions felt the fires. In São Paulo, smoke had darkened the sky, the city is more than 2000 kilometers from the fires.
The fires are the heaviest forest fires in years (read more here). Since January, the number of slash and burn in the largest country in South America compared to the same period last year increased by 82 percent, according to the Brazilian space agency Inpe. In total, nearly 80,000 fires were registered.