Smoke from raging forest fires in the Amazon and other regions is spreading across Brazil, and even beyond the country’s borders. Nearly five million kilometers2 According to estimates by Karla Longo, a researcher at the National Institute for Space Research (Inpe), based on satellite images, around 60% of Brazil’s territory was affected by smoke.
Argentine and Uruguayan authorities have reported the presence of this smoke in several of their regions. “If we take into account the affected areas in neighbouring countries and in the Atlantic Ocean, the area affected on Sunday was in the order of ten million square kilometres.2 »Longo said in an email sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Monday, September 9.
In southeastern Brazil, Sao Paulo, Latin America’s largest city, repeatedly topped the list of the world’s most polluted major cities on Monday, according to air quality monitoring company IQAir. The level of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) reached 69 micrograms per cubic metre, almost fourteen times higher than the limit recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
“The air is very dry, very polluted. We can barely breathe, it is suffocating”laments Ieda Bandeira, a 76-year-old pastry chef, who says “Drink lots of water and put wet clothes on the windowsills” to alleviate drought.
Fires mostly of criminal origin
The situation is also worrying in Rio de Janeiro, where the level of fine particles is 26 micrograms per cubic metre, more than five times the WHO threshold.
In many Brazilian cities, health authorities are reporting a sharp increase in cases of people suffering from respiratory problems, asthma attacks, pneumonia or sinusitis.
“Every day in the afternoon the sun turns orange and the sky is very dark because of the smoke”describes Jaqueline Almeida, 23 years old, resident in Sao Paulo.
These fires, most of which are criminally motivated according to authorities and often linked to agricultural activity, are spreading more easily due to a historic drought caused in particular by global warming, according to experts.
Red orange sunset
Satellite images from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) clearly showed a thick cloud of grey smoke along the Andes mountain range towards the south of the continent on Monday. This phenomenon is due to “wind that channels smoke to the south”meteorologist Estael Sias of the Metsul forecasting company told AFP.
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This generally promotes the formation of “flying rivers” which carry moisture from the Amazon to the south. But due to the prolonged drought and fires, instead of precipitation, “The wind’s trajectory brings smoke to several regions of Brazil”.
“Air quality is already poor due to drought, but smoke makes things worse by introducing soot nanoparticles”adds this specialist.
According to INPE data, the number of fires in the Amazon since the beginning of the year has almost doubled compared to the same period in 2023. Other regions of Brazil have been plagued by devastating vegetation fires in recent days, particularly in the Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, about 250 kilometers north of Brasilia, where more than 10,000 hectares have gone up in smoke.
Another phenomenon related to smoke from the fires: in many regions of Brazil, the sunset took on orange-red hues. “At dusk, the rays pass through nanoparticles invisible to the naked eye, which give them this orange-red hue.”explains Estael Sias. According to her, the smoke should not disappear. “without regular rainfall”that are not expected “before October or November”.
