A gray haze hung over Cleveland last week as smoke and soot from raging wildfires in western Canada swept over our region. Southwesterly winds carried harmful toxins and pollutants with them, resulting in an air quality advisory that warned those in sensitive groups to stay indoors to minimize the effects on their health.
Thousands of miles from the United States’ west coast—where wildfires are a frequent occurrence—Cleveland doesn’t typically see the effects so clearly. But, just two years ago, in the summer of 2023, Clevelanders experienced several days of smoke-filled skies from record-breaking wildfires in Canada.
This time, the effects aren’t as significant. However, it raises questions about the frequency and intensity of wildfires and what it all means for Cleveland.
We spoke with AW Omta, a visiting assistant professor in the Department of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences at the College of Arts and Sciences, to learn more about how the fires in Canada affected our air quality in Cleveland.
See what he shared—and consider taking his Weather and Climate course (EEPS 117) in the fall to learn more.
1. How do wildfires contribute to poor air quality?
Wildfires release fine particles and harmful gases, such as volatile organic carbons into the air. In the lower atmosphere, some of these gases lead to the formation of ozone, which is also harmful when breathed. Furthermore, it has recently been suggested that wildfire smoke particles can actually cause destruction of ozone in the upper atmosphere and thus contribute to the ozone hole.
2. Have there been any changes to the patterns or frequency of wildfires in recent years?
The number of wildfires per year across North America has been approximately stable over the past decades, but the fires seem to be getting bigger on average. In Canada, the summer of 2023 was particularly devastating: the burned area was almost 18 million hectares compared to an average of 2.1 million hectares over the past 50 years.
3. Has Cleveland specifically seen any change in how we’re affected?
As the fires are getting bigger, Cleveland can be expected to be affected more. That said, there remains a large year-to-year variation in the burned area and the extent to which Cleveland is affected also depends on the wind speed and direction.
4. What role does climate change play in wildfires?
Climate change is likely leading to an increase in the intensity of wildfires. For example, the summer of 2023 not only broke records in terms of the size of the wildfires but also in terms of the average temperature, especially across Northwestern Canada.
5. How do wildfires impact our health?
The fine particles and other pollutants released by wildfires can cause various health problems such as asthma, cardiovascular disease and lung cancer. Here is a good summary.