A plume of smoke from Canada has reached Norway and will spread across Europe
Smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada, which have already engulfed parts of the United States and put some 75 million people on alert for poor air quality, has reached Norway, according to scientists in that country. Over the past few days, rings of smoke have spread from Canada across Greenland, Iceland and as far as Norway.
"People in Norway may be able to smell and even detect the smoke as a faint haze, but unlike parts of the US that have experienced hazardous pollution, they should not experience any health effects," said scientist Nikolaos Evangeliou.
The plume is expected to spread across Europe in the coming days, but it is unlikely that people will be able to smell or see the smoke, Evangeliou said.
In 2020, smoke from California's record-breaking wildfires was detected in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago located deep in the Arctic Circle. Soot levels coming from wildfires in Canada are not expected to have a direct impact on Arctic melting because they are too diluted, Evangeliou said.