Wildfires in North America and Europe drive stratospheric smoke research

Extreme wildfire seasons in 2026 have impacted Canada, the western United States, and parts of Europe, including France, Greece, Spain, and Turkey. These fires have caused fatalities, mass displacement, and significant air pollution across large geographic areas. In the United States, the burned area in 2026 has reached 168 percent of the 10-year average.

Scientific observations from NASA’s SAGE III/ISS and the INSPYRE mission are investigating how these intense fires inject smoke into the stratosphere via pyroCb-driven mechanisms. While smoke from Canadian fires has been transported thousands of miles through the troposphere to the U.S. Eastern seaboard, researchers are testing whether increasing fire intensity amplifies smoke injection into the stratosphere, potentially altering Earth’s radiative balance by enhancing stratospheric aerosol amounts.

Climate change is cited as a primary driver, with unusually hot and dry weather priming ecosystems for combustion. In Canada, the 2023 fire season was noted for emitting carbon levels comparable to the world's largest economies, and current trends show intensifying fire activity and severity in North American forests.