© Chris Schagen / RTL
On Tuesday evening, the sunset appeared intensely red — and one possible explanation is the wildfires in Canada.
The red hue of the sun was particularly noticeable to many on Tuesday evening. Positioned low on the horizon, the sun showed a distinct red-orange glow.
Images provided by Copernicus reveal that ash produced by the wildfires in Canada was carried by wind through higher layers of the atmosphere all the way to Europe.
These fine particles alter the scattering of sunlight in the atmosphere, allowing mainly red and yellow wavelengths to reach the Earth while blue parts are more likely to be blocked. This makes the sun appear redder than usual, especially in the morning and evening when it is low on the horizon.
The EU climate agency Copernicus warned on Tuesday that steam clouds from the Canadian wildfires – so-called pyrocumulonimbus clouds – had indeed travelled across the Atlantic to Europe. However, this has no effect on local air quality, as the smoke is mostly transported in the upper layers of the atmosphere.
An initial smoke cloud was observed over the Mediterranean region on 18 and 19 May, followed by a larger cloud that reached northwestern Europe during the final week of May. It remains possible that additional smoke clouds could pass over Europe in the coming days.
At times, more than 100 active fire sites were recorded in Canada. Unusually dry conditions and strong winds repeatedly fueled the flames, enabling the fires to spread rapidly. Canada is not alone in facing such challenges. Since April, significant wildfires in southeastern Russia have also posed serious problems. Some resulting smoke clouds drifted toward China and northern Japan, while others reached as far as the high Arctic.
