NASA revealed the effects of large-scale fires in the Amazon forests

Space Agency NASA has published images of the Earth obtained by infrared sonar Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), which is located on Board the space satellite Aqua. The footage shows the filling of the atmosphere with carbon monoxide due to large-scale fires in Brazil.

As the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon plays a very important role in shaping the earth's ecology, producing about 20% of the planet's oxygen. However, in the summer of 2019, scientists recorded about 85,000 foci of forest fires in the Amazon forests. This is almost twice as much as last year, and their area increased by 83% to 3.5 million kilometers. The consequences of the disaster are visible even from space.

The above shows the distribution of carbon monoxide in the earth's atmosphere between 8 and 22 August this year. As can be seen, during the month the carbon monoxide plume grows in the North-Western part of the Amazon and then drifts to the South-Eastern part of the country.

To create the animation, each frame was made by using averaged measurements over three days to eliminate the shortage of data. Green indicates the concentration of carbon monoxide is about 100 ppb per volume (ppb); yellow — about 120 ppb, and dark red is about 160 ppb.

Carbon monoxide can remain in the atmosphere for about a month. It is collected at an altitude of about 5500 meters, where it is not harmful to human health, as it has little effect on the air we breathe. However, a strong wind can carry it down, where it will significantly affect the quality of oxygen. In addition, carbon monoxide has a negative impact on global climate change.