The Amazon is facing the worst fire season in 17 years; Smoke corridor reaches 10 Brazilian states
With the formation of the cold front, the cold air will compress the smoke corridor that has formed, accelerating its spread to other Brazilian states. Over the weekend, when the cold front reaches the central part of the country, the smoke is likely to be pushed into the ocean, providing a respite.
The smoke from the fires covered up Manaus - Photo Reproduction / Disclosure / Fiocruz
The Amazon, one of the richest regions in biodiversity and one of the greatest climate regulators on the planet, is facing its worst fire season in 17 years. Recent data indicate that the intensity and extent of forest fires exceed expectations, generating a devastating impact on both the environment and local populations. The dense layer of smoke that covers the sky, worsened by the drought that has hit more than a thousand Brazilian cities, is making the air difficult to breathe in the affected regions. Experts warn that the smoke is already affecting ten states and is expected to persist over the country until the end of the week.
Smoke Corridor: Impacts and Concerns
Since January, the forest has recorded 59,000 fires, the highest number since 2008. This total could increase, as data is collected monthly and August is not over yet. Fires not only affect the region's flora and fauna, but also have a profound impact on the atmosphere. The smoke resulting from these fires is spreading over thousands of kilometers and mixes with smoke coming from the Pantanal, Rondônia — where a fire broke out in Guajará-Mirim Park a month ago — and Bolivia.
This combination generates an immense amount of particulate matter, forming a smoke corridor that extends across several regions and, according to experts, has already reached at least 10 Brazilian states. So far, signs of smoke have been detected in the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Acre, Rondônia, Western Paraná, parts of Minas Gerais, parts of São Paulo and Amazonas. This cloud of smoke, loaded with pollutants, covers vast areas, compromising air quality and posing a serious risk to public health.
To understand why this is happening, it is important to recognize that the atmosphere, the layer of gasses that surrounds the Earth, is a single entity. Even if an event is localized, such as the fire in the Amazon, the smoke that rises into the atmosphere can be transported anywhere. Another factor to consider is wind currents. There is a natural flow that comes from the ocean, enters Brazil from the northeast, passes through the Amazon, where it acquires moisture, and heads to the south of the country. This same system could cause drought in the North. However, this time, the wind found the smoke from the Amazon and transported it to the South, forming a “smoke corridor”. These winds continue their path, spreading the smoke to other regions of the country.
The Seriousness of the Situation
According to experts, from Wednesday (21), the situation is expected to worsen and the amount of smoke will increase, affecting the capital of São Paulo more intensely, spreading across the interior of the state and advancing to Belo Horizonte, in Minas Gerais, and several cities in Paraná. This worsening will be caused by the cold wind, which is bringing a cold front to the Center-South. The meteorologist Young Dolif, from the Natural Disaster Monitoring Center (Cemaden), explains that the cold air will compress the smoke, accelerating its dispersion throughout the rest of the region.
In the Legal Amazon, more than 22 thousand fires were recorded in August alone, compared to 12 thousand in the same period last year. This is the worst-case scenario for the forest in the last 17 years. In the rest of the country, the situation is also critical, with the country facing its worst moment in terms of fire outbreaks in the last decade. Another aggravating factor is drought, which acts as a catalyst for fires, especially when combined with illegal burning.
Although drought usually occurs between August and October, peaking in September, meteorologists warn that it arrived earlier this year, starting in July. This situation is a consequence of the El Niño phenomenon, which in 2023 generated a water deficit due to drought. This problem is exacerbated by the persistent warming of the Atlantic Ocean. As a result, there is a reduction in humidity and rainfall across the country, in addition to an increase in temperatures, due to global warming.
According to Cemaden, which also monitors droughts in the country, more than a thousand cities face drought conditions, ranging from severe to moderate. In the Amazon, more than 60% of municipalities are in this situation. This situation increases the territory's susceptibility to fires and the expansion of flames. As a result, the critical burning period started earlier than usual, raising concerns about whether it will end sooner than expected or whether there will be an extension of the fires.
Also according to the organization, the main concern this year, compared to previous ones, is the uncertainty about whether what we are experiencing is just an anticipation of the critical period or whether, in fact, we will face a longer period of exposure to smoke. toxic, considering that the pollution peak in 2023 occurred in October. This would be unusual and extremely alarming.
Record number of fires, even with the drop in deforestation
According to the most recent Inpe survey, deforestation in the Amazon registered a reduction of 45% in the last year, from August 2023 to July 2024. This is the lowest rate of loss in the biome since the beginning of the historical series, in 2015, and a record in terms of preservation. Luiz Aragão, an Inpe researcher who monitors fires, explains that, despite this reduction, deforestation still persists, especially in previously deforested areas that continue to be affected by fire.
He highlights that the Amazon has more than 800 thousand square kilometers of deforested areas, predominantly used for pasture. In these areas, the use of fire for pasture management contributes to an increase in fires, which add to new invasions. Therefore, it is not enough to just reduce deforestation; It is crucial to monitor areas that have already been destroyed. Aragão also highlights that, due to the drier climate in the region, fire used in specific areas can spread quickly, reaching large proportions and generating large amounts of smoke.
