California fires causing significant pollution

[Tonington]

From the Wunderblog.

It was a destructive April, May, and June for fires in California, with 889,000 acres burned (71% of this acreage since June 20!) This is over five times the acreage burned during the same months in 2007. Satellite-detected fires from April through June this year totaled over 13,000, compared to only 1,200 during the same time period in 2007. These fires have caused many cities in the state to exceed the EPA's daily standard of 35 µg/m3 for particulate air pollution

Here's the figure which shows the comparison for air quality for this spring compared to last years fires.

The conditions appear to be improving with changing wind patterns and increasing moisture. Let's hope conditions improve before the peak of the season later this year.

 

[Kreskin]

California is bad for fires. Year in and year out it seems.

 

[Tonington]

California is bad for fires. Year in and year out it seems.

Much like BC is as well.

On NASA's site you can browse satellite photos. They have one photo of the Maritimes and you can see the smoke which had drifted all the way from California to our shores. Crazzzzzzy.

 

[Kreskin]

I guess historically BC is too.

 

[Tonington]

There were two fires when I left BC this weekend. We saw the lightning storm that caused the one near Kelowna. Hot weekend that was...