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NASA has released a new sequence showing the carbon monoxide plume generated by forest fires in Brazil, following the changes every day starting Aug. 8. The country has experienced record forest fires this year and, as of August 23, more than 2,500 active fires across the Amazon. The NASA timeline shows carbon monoxide concentrations at an altitude of 18,000 feet.
The data was collected by the Space Agency's AIRS (Atmospheric Infrared Sounder) instrument, located on the Aqua satellite. Each "day" of the animation represents three actual days from August 8 to 22. NASA explains that the green parts of the map represent carbon monoxide levels of about 100 parts per billion by volume.
The yellow zones represent a higher concentration of about 120 parts per billion and the dark red zone indicates concentrations of about 160 parts per billion. The increasing concentration is moving towards southeast Brazil as the days go by. A high resolution version of the NASA gif is available here.
According to NASA, carbon monoxide can stay in the atmosphere for about a month. Assuming that the gas remains trapped as high in the atmosphere, it would not have much impact on the air that humans breathe. However, if a downward current of air reduces carbon monoxide, NASA warned that it could "have a significant impact" on the quality of breathable air.
The trees release carbon monoxide during combustion, which has a major impact on climate change in addition to polluting the air. According to the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, the outbreak of forest fires is the result of deforestation. NASA tracked fires with its Earth satellites, keeping the public informed.
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