Satellite data has revealed that Arctic Circle wildfires released nearly 700 tonnes of carbon dioxide per minute in 2020, totalling 244 megatonnes between January 1 and August 31. This surpasses the previous annual record of 181 megatonnes set in 2019, according to the EU's Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS).
The fires, concentrated mainly in Russia's Sakha Republic and Siberia, produced smoke plumes covering an area larger than one-third of Canada. The peak of the fire season occurred in July and early August, but above-average intensity persisted into late August in some regions.
Scientists attribute the unprecedented emissions to global warming, with the Arctic warming twice as fast as the global average. In June, the town of Verkhoyansk, 3,000 miles east of Moscow, recorded a temperature of 38°C (100.4°F), a level not expected until 2100.
Clare Nullis, a spokesperson for the World Meteorological Organisation, described the year as 'exceptionally bad' and noted that many fires may have been 'zombie' fires that smoulder through winter and reignite. The UN weather agency warned that the Arctic's rapid warming is creating a 'vicious circle' of sea ice decline and further warming.
