Stay inside and reduce your exposure.
June 7, 2023 8:37 AM Subscribe
What to know about the Canadian wildfires affecting parts of the U.S. [The Washington Post] [Gift article] “Uncontrollable flames are ravaging swaths of Canadian forest in what authorities described as a “devastating” wildfire season that could become the worst the country has ever seen. The United States’ northern neighbor is home to some of the world’s densest forests, and it experiences wildfires every year. But this year, the fires have been particularly widespread, numerous and intense, burning through more than 3.7 million acres in Canada. Canada’s government expects “higher-than-normal fire activity” to continue throughout the wildfire season — which typically lasts between April and September — due to a combination of ongoing drought conditions and hot temperature forecasts. Smoke and haze from the Canadian wildfires has also affected the United States, leading authorities from New York to Minnesota to issue public health alerts and urge people to stay indoors and wear masks to protect themselves from potentially toxic fine particles in the air.”
• Toronto’s air quality ranks among the world’s worst as fires rage in Ontario and Quebec [Toronto Star]
• Toronto’s air quality ranks among the world’s worst as fires rage in Ontario and Quebec [Toronto Star]
“Known as the Big Smoke, Toronto’s nickname was especially fitting on Tuesday. As forest fires raged in Quebec and northeastern Ontario, a yellow-tinted smoke settled upon Toronto. By evening, the city’s air quality ranked among the world’s worst, at times ahead of even Lahore, Pakistan, which was labelled the planet’s most polluted city in 2022, according to IQ Air, a global air quality tracker. Across the GTA, the haze resulted in cancelled recreational sports, postponed school field trips and notices sent to parents that schoolchildren would begin spending recess indoors on Wednesday, including across the York Region District School Board. The Toronto District School Board advised parents late Tuesday that “all strenuous outdoor activities, including athletic events” on Wednesday and Thursday would be rescheduled or moved indoors. By Tuesday evening, Toronto’s air quality health index (AQHI) had climbed from a level 3 recorded that morning — which is considered “low risk” — to a level 7 out of 10, “high risk” territory. It’s expected to hover at levels 6 and 7 at least through to Thursday. But it’s unclear when the smoke will dissipate. “It’s going to get worse before it gets better,” said David Phillips, a senior climatologist with Environment Canada, who’s expecting conditions to worsen Wednesday night as smoke from Quebec and Ontario merge.”• Canada wildfires: Tens of millions under air quality warnings as fires burn [BBC]
“Smoke blanketed large areas of Ontario and Quebec, while an orange haze hung over much of the north-eastern US throughout Tuesday and into Wednesday. Toronto and New York briefly ranked among the metro areas with the worst air quality in the world overnight. Much of the smoke is coming from Quebec, where 160 fires are burning. Canadian officials say the country is shaping up for its worst wildfire season on record. Experts have pointed to a warmer and drier spring than normal as the reason behind the trend. These conditions are projected to continue throughout the summer. Environment Canada issued its strongest air quality warning for Ottawa on Tuesday, deeming it a "very high risk" to people's health. In Toronto and its surrounding areas, the air quality was classified as "high risk". Meanwhile, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) classified the air quality in much of the north-east as "unhealthy" especially for people who already have respiratory issues. In total, some 100 million people around North America are thought to be under a form of air quality warning.”• New York City’s air pollution among the world’s worst as Canada wildfire smoke shrouds Northeast [CNN]
“New York City topped the list of the world’s worst air pollution for parts of Tuesday as harmful smoke wafted south from more than a hundred wildfires burning in Quebec. Smoke from Canada’s fires has periodically engulfed the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic for more than a week, raising concerns over the harms of persistent poor air quality. New York City’s air quality index was above 200 at one point Tuesday night – a level that is “very unhealthy,” according to IQair. The city had the worst quality of air of any major metropolitan area Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET, according to IQair. Later Tuesday night, New York City had the second-worst levels of air pollution in the world after New Delhi, India, IQair reported. Other cities on the list were Doha, Qatar; Baghdad, Iraq; and Lahore, Pakistan. New York City also briefly topped the list on Tuesday morning. As a result, at least 10 school districts in central New York state canceled outdoor activities and events Tuesday. Those activities include academic, athletic and extracurricular events, while outdoor recess and gym classes were also canceled, school district announcements said. Wildfire smoke contains very tiny particulate matter, or PM2.5 – the tiniest pollutant yet also the most dangerous. When inhaled, it can travel deep into lung tissue and enter the bloodstream. It comes from sources like the combustion of fossil fuels, dust storms and wildfires, and has been linked to a number of health problems including asthma, heart disease and other respiratory illnesses.”
Word on the street here in Philly is that we're in store for the orange sky treatment later in the day as the wall of smoke hits us. I've got my nice camera battery charging up so I can photograph it, which is the only way to make lemonade out of a shitshow like this.
There's been some chatter on Twitter about how East Coasters are ridiculous for making a big deal out of this after the same thing happened to CA last year, but it is one thing to read about someone getting punched in the face and quite another to eat a knuckle sandwich.
Anyway, no run for me tonight.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:42 AM on June 7, 2023 [12 favorites]
There's been some chatter on Twitter about how East Coasters are ridiculous for making a big deal out of this after the same thing happened to CA last year, but it is one thing to read about someone getting punched in the face and quite another to eat a knuckle sandwich.
Anyway, no run for me tonight.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:42 AM on June 7, 2023 [12 favorites]
It's a really bad time to cancel outdoor activities for school districts, because there are lots of class trips scheduled for the last few weeks of school.
For instance, where I teach AP classes are going to a theme park on Thursday and the senior class trip is on Friday.
posted by subdee at 8:44 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
For instance, where I teach AP classes are going to a theme park on Thursday and the senior class trip is on Friday.
posted by subdee at 8:44 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Just a new normal, this shit is going to happen more and more and not just in N. America.
Forest fires are getting worse, 20 years of data confirm.
Forest fires are getting worse, 20 years of data confirm.
• Fires are now causing an additional 3 million hectares (7.4 million acres) of tree cover loss per year than they did in 2001, according to a newly released Global Forest Watch analysis that examined fires that burn all or most of a forest’s living overstory trees.posted by Fizz at 8:45 AM on June 7, 2023 [25 favorites]
• The majority of all fire-caused tree cover loss in the past 20 years (nearly 70%) occurred in boreal regions. Although fires are naturally occurring there, they are now increasing at an annual rate of 3% and burning with greater frequency and severity and over larger areas than historically recorded.
• Fires are not naturally occurring in tropical rainforests, but in recent years, as deforestation and climate change have degraded and dried out intact forests, fires have been escaping into standing tropical rainforests. GFW findings suggest fires in the tropics have increased by roughly 5% per year since 2001.
• Researchers say there is no “silver bullet” solution for forest fires, but experts call for more spending on planning and preparation.
I've been dealing with this for a month now - between the smoke and the heat, I've been loathe to really get out of the house as of late.
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:45 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 8:45 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
I live in Brooklyn and honestly didn't notice. I didn't get any of the "stay inside and run your air filters" messaging until this morning; yesterday afternoon, it just looked like it was about to rain but then the rain never came. Granted, I am in fairly good health and that may put me at an advantage. I did, however, use it as an excuse to take the bus to work this morning instead of walking.
....The biggest concern at the moment is that I'd planned on going to a free concert tonight with one of my Dad's favorite-ever blues artists as the opening act; the organizers haven't yet said anything either way about whether the show is affected by the air quality warnings, and a bunch of people are starting to clamor for clarification online. I'm hoping that they don't wait until I'm halfway there to cancel or something.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:46 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
....The biggest concern at the moment is that I'd planned on going to a free concert tonight with one of my Dad's favorite-ever blues artists as the opening act; the organizers haven't yet said anything either way about whether the show is affected by the air quality warnings, and a bunch of people are starting to clamor for clarification online. I'm hoping that they don't wait until I'm halfway there to cancel or something.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:46 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Western states send their best wishes and regards.
That, and also I am hoping that now that the east coast population centers (and centers of political power) are being affected, more people might come to a realization about how climates and fire regimes have shifted for the worse and that a greater level of action is called for.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:46 AM on June 7, 2023 [32 favorites]
That, and also I am hoping that now that the east coast population centers (and centers of political power) are being affected, more people might come to a realization about how climates and fire regimes have shifted for the worse and that a greater level of action is called for.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:46 AM on June 7, 2023 [32 favorites]
The air here in Southern Ontario smells and kinda tastes like burning embers. You can taste/feel the particulates in the air and it reminds me an awful lot of some of the worst smog days back in New Delhi. :-(
posted by Fizz at 8:49 AM on June 7, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 8:49 AM on June 7, 2023 [10 favorites]
Visibly poor air quality here in New Jersey - the sun is bright red and you can smell the smoke. I have a <6month old baby at home and we've been keeping him inside with the windows closed and the air purifier on blast. Air filters don't use **that** much electricity but I think eventually, it'll become the new normal for most wealthy homes and businesses to have them running all the time indoors.
posted by subdee at 8:51 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by subdee at 8:51 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
Here in DC all I can think is that it would be really fantastic to have any public health advice on this at all. I had to ask my child's school to move activities indoors and suggest that everyone mask this morning, as ash was fluttering down. I'm known as a COVID doomer already, so I am really psyched about taking this on.
posted by Il etait une fois at 8:51 AM on June 7, 2023 [13 favorites]
posted by Il etait une fois at 8:51 AM on June 7, 2023 [13 favorites]
My throat has been itchy and my eyes stinging for a couple days. I made the mistake of going for a morning run yesterday morning and felt like a dummy afterward. I'm grateful to not be asthmatic. Let's hope it's over soon.
posted by Evstar at 8:52 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Evstar at 8:52 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Tips from the West:
-You can build an inexpensive indoor air filter by using a box fan and a Hepa furnace filter to clean the air in your home by taping the filter to the front of the fan. Very effective and much cheaper than the fancy ones.
-wear a mask outside--you don't realize how bad the particulates are and what kind of long term damage exposure can do as outlined above.
posted by agatha_magatha at 8:54 AM on June 7, 2023 [31 favorites]
-You can build an inexpensive indoor air filter by using a box fan and a Hepa furnace filter to clean the air in your home by taping the filter to the front of the fan. Very effective and much cheaper than the fancy ones.
-wear a mask outside--you don't realize how bad the particulates are and what kind of long term damage exposure can do as outlined above.
posted by agatha_magatha at 8:54 AM on June 7, 2023 [31 favorites]
Yes, inhaling smoke is bad for you, but it appears that inactivity is worse. "There’s good reason to think twice about working out in poor air conditions, but on the whole, he [Michael Koehle, an environmental physiologist at the University of British Columbia] figured that the health benefits outweighed the risks. 'Exercise is such a big hammer that it crushes everything else,' he told me. ... Inhaling air pollution can result in harmful oxidative stress; exercise itself is a powerful antioxidant that seems to counteract some of that. This may be one of the reasons that both mouse studies and large epidemiological surveys have found that exercise in polluted air doesn’t seem to nullify the benefits of working out."
I'll try going for a easy jog this evening despite the "unhealthy" quality and will see how it feels. Yes, it would probably be better to exercise indoors and might be safer to wait it out, but a day or two isn't going to make a huge difference either way.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:54 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
I'll try going for a easy jog this evening despite the "unhealthy" quality and will see how it feels. Yes, it would probably be better to exercise indoors and might be safer to wait it out, but a day or two isn't going to make a huge difference either way.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:54 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
I live in Brooklyn and honestly didn't notice.
I live in Brooklyn and couldn't help but notice – at 7 last night the smoke was thick and a 30 min walk (masked) ended up with my eyes watering. The streets were empty, too; between that and the mask I was having covid quarantine flashbacks.
I'd been on the lookout cuz the sunlight has been orange the last few days, but dang yesterday evening was in-tense. Rough time of year for it, too, prime windows-open time. Oy.
posted by wemayfreeze at 8:54 AM on June 7, 2023 [8 favorites]
I live in Brooklyn and couldn't help but notice – at 7 last night the smoke was thick and a 30 min walk (masked) ended up with my eyes watering. The streets were empty, too; between that and the mask I was having covid quarantine flashbacks.
I'd been on the lookout cuz the sunlight has been orange the last few days, but dang yesterday evening was in-tense. Rough time of year for it, too, prime windows-open time. Oy.
posted by wemayfreeze at 8:54 AM on June 7, 2023 [8 favorites]
In North Jersey here. The sky yesterday reminded me of when I lived in the East Bay in California, when wildfires were raging in Sonoma. Of course, the difference here this time is that we don't live an hour's drive from where those major fires are happening.
There is also a wildfire happening south of us which surely isn't helping.
My eyes were starting to water last night, while inside. Thankfully, we have an air purifier, which has been constantly running in the bedroom the past few days.
Stay safe everyone, and if you must go outside, mask up.
posted by May Kasahara at 8:56 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
There is also a wildfire happening south of us which surely isn't helping.
My eyes were starting to water last night, while inside. Thankfully, we have an air purifier, which has been constantly running in the bedroom the past few days.
Stay safe everyone, and if you must go outside, mask up.
posted by May Kasahara at 8:56 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Air filters don't use **that** much electricity but I think eventually, it'll become the new normal for most wealthy homes and businesses to have them running all the time indoors.
I agree. Additionally, the frequency in recent years of intense smoke events out here is why we spent the $$$$ to install air conditioning last year. It's otherwise more of an optional thing here (a nice to have, not a must have) as long as you can open windows all night. But when you have a weeks or longer of unhealthy air at the peak of summer, it creates a terrible choice between stifling temperatures and cleaner air with windows closed, or better temperatures but unhealthy indoor air quality. Anecdotally, lots of people I know in the west have done the same thing.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:57 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I agree. Additionally, the frequency in recent years of intense smoke events out here is why we spent the $$$$ to install air conditioning last year. It's otherwise more of an optional thing here (a nice to have, not a must have) as long as you can open windows all night. But when you have a weeks or longer of unhealthy air at the peak of summer, it creates a terrible choice between stifling temperatures and cleaner air with windows closed, or better temperatures but unhealthy indoor air quality. Anecdotally, lots of people I know in the west have done the same thing.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:57 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yes, inhaling smoke is bad for you, but it appears that inactivity is worse.
Over the long term, sure. But me not going for a run tonight because the sky is orange and the particulate level is in the 300s is not going to give me early-onset hypertension.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:57 AM on June 7, 2023 [73 favorites]
Over the long term, sure. But me not going for a run tonight because the sky is orange and the particulate level is in the 300s is not going to give me early-onset hypertension.
posted by grumpybear69 at 8:57 AM on June 7, 2023 [73 favorites]
I live in the Mid Hudson Valley (NY) and it was pretty scary outside yesterday afternoon. I never saw anything like it. Everything turned orange, like we were in an old, sepia colored photograph. It lasted about two hours. Right now it's just regular hazy like an overcast day.
posted by silverstatue at 8:58 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by silverstatue at 8:58 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
I live in Brooklyn and honestly didn't notice.
I live in Brooklyn and I did notice, especially yesterday in the early evening. I left someone's building and the sky had a completely-overcast orange tinge and smelled vaguely of ash... at first I thought someone was doing an outdoor barbecue but since it was an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood that seemed unlikely.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:01 AM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
I live in Brooklyn and I did notice, especially yesterday in the early evening. I left someone's building and the sky had a completely-overcast orange tinge and smelled vaguely of ash... at first I thought someone was doing an outdoor barbecue but since it was an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood that seemed unlikely.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 9:01 AM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
Yeah, it's like the plains of Gorgoroth out there. I have my air purifier on high.
I am hoping that now that the east coast population centers (and centers of political power) are being affected, more people might come to a realization about how climates and fire regimes have shifted for the worse and that a greater level of action is called for.
Going to gently point out that it is the Western states, with their hugely disproportionate political power, that have been the force most absolutely and resolutely opposed to any sort of action on climate change. There is plenty of blame to go around, of course, and I don't wish to imply that the northeastern states are somehow paragons of civic virtue, but if we were our own country, we would already be much further along the path to remediation, simply because we wouldn't have to deal with the senator representing the five people in South Dakota who somehow have as much power at the federal level as tens of millions of people in our states and who think they're going to be raptured away before the planet becomes uninhabitable.
posted by praemunire at 9:03 AM on June 7, 2023 [38 favorites]
I am hoping that now that the east coast population centers (and centers of political power) are being affected, more people might come to a realization about how climates and fire regimes have shifted for the worse and that a greater level of action is called for.
Going to gently point out that it is the Western states, with their hugely disproportionate political power, that have been the force most absolutely and resolutely opposed to any sort of action on climate change. There is plenty of blame to go around, of course, and I don't wish to imply that the northeastern states are somehow paragons of civic virtue, but if we were our own country, we would already be much further along the path to remediation, simply because we wouldn't have to deal with the senator representing the five people in South Dakota who somehow have as much power at the federal level as tens of millions of people in our states and who think they're going to be raptured away before the planet becomes uninhabitable.
posted by praemunire at 9:03 AM on June 7, 2023 [38 favorites]
Here's a gift article link for the live updates page on WashPo for anyone who wants to have a look.
posted by Fizz at 9:04 AM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 9:04 AM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
In Montreal it's less yellow/orange than in previous days and the smell has diminished. Our daughter has asthma, and has started coughing yesterday night, so that's not fun. No soccer tonight.
No rain for a week in the north, it's gonna continue for a while. People are somewhat used to losing isolated cabins to forest fires, but I don't remember the last time we evacuated villages because of that.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 9:04 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
No rain for a week in the north, it's gonna continue for a while. People are somewhat used to losing isolated cabins to forest fires, but I don't remember the last time we evacuated villages because of that.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 9:04 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Fire Smoke Canada, for your fire smoke forecasts.
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:05 AM on June 7, 2023 [9 favorites]
posted by Capt. Renault at 9:05 AM on June 7, 2023 [9 favorites]
If you're in North America, a live smoke forecast map is available at firesmoke.ca.
posted by clawsoon at 9:05 AM on June 7, 2023 [8 favorites]
posted by clawsoon at 9:05 AM on June 7, 2023 [8 favorites]
Beat me to it by mere seconds, Capt. Renault!
posted by clawsoon at 9:06 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by clawsoon at 9:06 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Only the Acela Corridor is real, maybe something will change because of this…
posted by Going To Maine at 9:07 AM on June 7, 2023
posted by Going To Maine at 9:07 AM on June 7, 2023
Hugs and masks to all those impacted. Didn't see it linked above anywhere but having lived in multiple wildfire zones in California and Utah I find the PurpleAir map very useful for seeing the AQI around me clearly (it's amazing how subtle changes in geography can mean AQI can be quite different street to street, suburb to suburb etc. especially in more hilly areas or where coastal onshore winds may bring relieve etc.). Can be useful if you are planning trips or just day to day (most mapping software also will show you AQI as a layer, but it just pops a little clear for me in PurpleAir)
posted by inflatablekiwi at 9:08 AM on June 7, 2023 [14 favorites]
posted by inflatablekiwi at 9:08 AM on June 7, 2023 [14 favorites]
That smoke forecast is horrifying.
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:09 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by grumpybear69 at 9:09 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Also see this map for an idea of where the fires are and how big this is (4600 km^2 burnt and we're not done).
posted by WaterAndPixels at 9:17 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by WaterAndPixels at 9:17 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
We're 14,000% ahead of last year's pace, with an estimated 4 million ha burnt to date (roughly the size of Switzerland) compared to only about 28,000 ha by this time last year.
posted by The Notorious SRD at 9:19 AM on June 7, 2023
posted by The Notorious SRD at 9:19 AM on June 7, 2023
Inhaling air pollution can result in harmful oxidative stress; exercise itself is a powerful antioxidant that seems to counteract some of that. This may be one of the reasons that both mouse studies and large epidemiological surveys have found that exercise in polluted air doesn’t seem to nullify the benefits of working out."
The epidemiological study linked compared people living in areas of high levels of pollution in Denmark. The air outside on the East Coast today is worse than whatever the most polluted parts of Copenhagen sees on a regular basis.
This study constructs a model that looks at the benefits and costs under varying levels of pollution. At 100 µg/m³ of PM2.5 (as I type this, Toronto is at 102.7 and NYC is at 82.3 per IQAir), by the time you've been cycling or jogging for 30 minutes outside, you're doing yourself more harm than good with each extra step (the 'tipping point' in the study). At 90 minutes, you would have been better off to have spent the time on the couch having never exposed yourself to outdoor air (the 'breakeven point'). The second figure in the study shows the curve associated with varying pollution levels. At 400 µg/m³ (Kingston, ON as I type this), even a few minutes outside cause deleterious effects. And the assumption in this study is that it's either regular exercise or complete inactivity; if you ran last week and will run again next week when the smoke clears, then the benefits are even smaller.
It is absolutely true that the long term benefits of regular exercise outweigh the costs when performed under 'typical' Western levels of pollution. But missing a few workouts on the worst days of the year doesn't have the same impact as long term inactivity, and the air under heavy wildfire smoke is far worse than typical pollution. Long term effects and short term effects are not the same.
posted by Superilla at 9:26 AM on June 7, 2023 [38 favorites]
The epidemiological study linked compared people living in areas of high levels of pollution in Denmark. The air outside on the East Coast today is worse than whatever the most polluted parts of Copenhagen sees on a regular basis.
This study constructs a model that looks at the benefits and costs under varying levels of pollution. At 100 µg/m³ of PM2.5 (as I type this, Toronto is at 102.7 and NYC is at 82.3 per IQAir), by the time you've been cycling or jogging for 30 minutes outside, you're doing yourself more harm than good with each extra step (the 'tipping point' in the study). At 90 minutes, you would have been better off to have spent the time on the couch having never exposed yourself to outdoor air (the 'breakeven point'). The second figure in the study shows the curve associated with varying pollution levels. At 400 µg/m³ (Kingston, ON as I type this), even a few minutes outside cause deleterious effects. And the assumption in this study is that it's either regular exercise or complete inactivity; if you ran last week and will run again next week when the smoke clears, then the benefits are even smaller.
It is absolutely true that the long term benefits of regular exercise outweigh the costs when performed under 'typical' Western levels of pollution. But missing a few workouts on the worst days of the year doesn't have the same impact as long term inactivity, and the air under heavy wildfire smoke is far worse than typical pollution. Long term effects and short term effects are not the same.
posted by Superilla at 9:26 AM on June 7, 2023 [38 favorites]
it is one thing to read about someone getting punched in the face and quite another to eat a knuckle sandwich.
Sardonic one-liner: As Mike Tyson said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."
My town has a large Hispanic population, and lots of the men work outdoors: landscaping, construction, roofing, etc. I'm sitting inside now, windows closed, wondering how many of them got sent home or didn't have to go to work today, and my guess is few, if any. It's a complicated situation because it's possible or plausible that no work = no pay, and the perceived risk of personal harm from the air quality is probably less immediate than a drop in daily income. Or maybe it's not complicated at all. I feel like the wildfires' effect on air quality (drifting down from Canada to span Minnesota to New York??? good grief), though plainly observable, is still sort of unreal to a lot of people. It's like global warming itself--think of everyone who says, "It's 65 degrees in December! I love global warming!!" Side note: the sky and air here are now distinctly yellow.
I once read a novel set in the dystopian near future where everything is basically the same as now but there are no more vegetables.( Human-caused environmental issues, natch.) The nutritional benefits we previously derived from vegetables are synthesized in a lab. No big deal. Everyone goes on about their business. There's still plenty of stuff to buy and good shows on TV! I can only conclude that, like The Handmaid's Tale and Idiocracy, this kind of thing is morphing from fiction into documentary.
posted by scratch at 9:27 AM on June 7, 2023 [8 favorites]
Sardonic one-liner: As Mike Tyson said, "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."
My town has a large Hispanic population, and lots of the men work outdoors: landscaping, construction, roofing, etc. I'm sitting inside now, windows closed, wondering how many of them got sent home or didn't have to go to work today, and my guess is few, if any. It's a complicated situation because it's possible or plausible that no work = no pay, and the perceived risk of personal harm from the air quality is probably less immediate than a drop in daily income. Or maybe it's not complicated at all. I feel like the wildfires' effect on air quality (drifting down from Canada to span Minnesota to New York??? good grief), though plainly observable, is still sort of unreal to a lot of people. It's like global warming itself--think of everyone who says, "It's 65 degrees in December! I love global warming!!" Side note: the sky and air here are now distinctly yellow.
I once read a novel set in the dystopian near future where everything is basically the same as now but there are no more vegetables.( Human-caused environmental issues, natch.) The nutritional benefits we previously derived from vegetables are synthesized in a lab. No big deal. Everyone goes on about their business. There's still plenty of stuff to buy and good shows on TV! I can only conclude that, like The Handmaid's Tale and Idiocracy, this kind of thing is morphing from fiction into documentary.
posted by scratch at 9:27 AM on June 7, 2023 [8 favorites]
The Air Quality Index is 323 here right now and the air smells like smoke. The wind is out of the north, which is unusual and unfortunate as it's sending the smoke directly from Quebec. Unprecedented, but likely a harbinger of things to come.
posted by tommasz at 9:34 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by tommasz at 9:34 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
can see the haze on sattelite all the way into oklahoma
air quality alert map. it's basically at least yellow all the way to the continental divide.
posted by Clowder of bats at 9:35 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
air quality alert map. it's basically at least yellow all the way to the continental divide.
posted by Clowder of bats at 9:35 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
I don't think anyone posted this yet, so here's a gift link from the New York Times.
posted by scratch at 9:35 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by scratch at 9:35 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's only early June. This is going to be a rough year.
posted by biogeo at 9:40 AM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 9:40 AM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
I live in the Mid Hudson Valley (NY) and it was pretty scary outside yesterday afternoon.
I'm in the Catskills, and same. It was hazy in the morning, and then long about 2 or 3 pm it started getting really orange and smoky. It honestly felt like all of my neighbors decided on a burn day at once.
I texted my buddies in NYC around that time and at about 7 pm they responded with, "Oh, you were right, it's Next Level Weird now."
WILD.
posted by functionequalsform at 9:40 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm in the Catskills, and same. It was hazy in the morning, and then long about 2 or 3 pm it started getting really orange and smoky. It honestly felt like all of my neighbors decided on a burn day at once.
I texted my buddies in NYC around that time and at about 7 pm they responded with, "Oh, you were right, it's Next Level Weird now."
WILD.
posted by functionequalsform at 9:40 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Also see this map for an idea of where the fires are and how big this is (4600 km^2 burnt and we're not done).
I looked in my area, out of curiosity, and that map is accurate in some unexpected ways: it is picking up the routine flaring in refinery row and other industrial sites. So like, yes, those areas are on fire, but intentionally.
While firesmoke is probably the best forecast available, at least it has been in western Canada, it is worth remembering that does not have the skill of a weather forecast and can be quite wrong, especially more than a day out. At least in early May, when Edmonton was going through the worst of this, the smoke forecasts were often wrong simply because new fires were starting and existing fires were growing faster than the model runs could capture. Or, on the more pleasant side, when we finally got some rain and it knocked all the smoke out of the air.
UNBC hosts an air quality map that incorporates both purple air sensors and official government/NGO air monitoring stations (it only covers Canada though) if you are looking for another source of real-time data.
posted by selenized at 9:42 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I looked in my area, out of curiosity, and that map is accurate in some unexpected ways: it is picking up the routine flaring in refinery row and other industrial sites. So like, yes, those areas are on fire, but intentionally.
While firesmoke is probably the best forecast available, at least it has been in western Canada, it is worth remembering that does not have the skill of a weather forecast and can be quite wrong, especially more than a day out. At least in early May, when Edmonton was going through the worst of this, the smoke forecasts were often wrong simply because new fires were starting and existing fires were growing faster than the model runs could capture. Or, on the more pleasant side, when we finally got some rain and it knocked all the smoke out of the air.
UNBC hosts an air quality map that incorporates both purple air sensors and official government/NGO air monitoring stations (it only covers Canada though) if you are looking for another source of real-time data.
posted by selenized at 9:42 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I spend a lot of time out west and have experienced smoke from many fires including the big Yellowstone fire. I’ve also been the China during winter. I’m in DC right now and the air quality is among the worst I’ve seen. It is that extra dimension of seasonal allergies with everything blooming right now that makes it particularly awful. Honestly I’m looking at a map and trying to decide if I should just drive until I get out of it while wearing a N95 Mask. Like if I got a little south to where there are some Thunderstorms can I get relief.
posted by interogative mood at 9:42 AM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 9:42 AM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
When the Camp fire happened, the sky in the SF Bay Area turned dark. At the time I worked for a door to door delivery company and we were driving toward our delivery area, which is well out of the way (the sky is still mostly bright). After dropping off 3 deliveries, we were told to head back, unload, and take the rest of the day off. They *did* gave us N95 masks though at the time.
Nope, not fun at all.
posted by kschang at 9:44 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Nope, not fun at all.
posted by kschang at 9:44 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
FYI, from what I can find, an N95 is the best mask for this situation. Surgical masks are better than nothing, but "dust masks"--the paper ones you get at the hardware store--are not effective for these very small particulates. (Please correct me if I'm wrong.)
posted by scratch at 9:48 AM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by scratch at 9:48 AM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
They cancelled the concert, unsurprisingly. I'll be heading home straight after work (taking the bus) and will hole up with movies and an air filter.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:52 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:52 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
My brother is driving back to NYC from Woodstock today. The photo he sent is awful. Completely orange sky. I'm accustomed to wildfires here in California but usually the worst I've had to deal with where I am is the smell of smoke. I've never seen the sky like that.
posted by downtohisturtles at 9:55 AM on June 7, 2023
posted by downtohisturtles at 9:55 AM on June 7, 2023
Out here in the Utah mountains, a long snowy winter and very rapid melt plus noticeably less large mammals eating plants (deer, elk, moose) due to harsh winter and resulting significantly lower survival rates for new born animals, means it is green as green out here in the mountains. With a mild spring so far and plenty of sun and regular rain the amount of undergrowth coming through is significant. A lot of that is going to dry up and burn in our next hot summer if the longer term pattern continues. I assume it’s similar for other large parts of the mountain west. *sigh*
posted by inflatablekiwi at 9:55 AM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by inflatablekiwi at 9:55 AM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
Yeaaaaaaaaah, it's getting a little worse here in Brooklyn than it was this morning....there's a yellowish tinge to the sky, and our view of a bridge just one mile across Brooklyn Harbor is obscured. It also smells a little smoky.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:02 AM on June 7, 2023
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:02 AM on June 7, 2023
What up from Kingston, Ontario, delightfully located below the Ontario wildfires and east of the Quebec ones. Our average air quality is 2; today it is 11.
The past three mornings have been apocalyptic visually. Everything is hazy and yellow and the smoke is now blocking the sun here. I certainly did not have Ontario/QC wildfire smoke hazard on the Summer 2023 Bingo Card.
posted by Kitteh at 10:02 AM on June 7, 2023 [10 favorites]
The past three mornings have been apocalyptic visually. Everything is hazy and yellow and the smoke is now blocking the sun here. I certainly did not have Ontario/QC wildfire smoke hazard on the Summer 2023 Bingo Card.
posted by Kitteh at 10:02 AM on June 7, 2023 [10 favorites]
Good luck to everyone in the affected areas. The fact that the smoke from Canada is affecting the US means that scapegoats aren't as clear.
I will admit that from my lofty west coast perch, I pulled up the AQI for NYC and shrugged. It's only in the low 100s, there are covid vaccines, and it's June, not August. But these fires can rage for months, so start thinking long-term (for the rest of the summer, and following years) instead of just hiding out for the week.
posted by meowzilla at 10:03 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
I will admit that from my lofty west coast perch, I pulled up the AQI for NYC and shrugged. It's only in the low 100s, there are covid vaccines, and it's June, not August. But these fires can rage for months, so start thinking long-term (for the rest of the summer, and following years) instead of just hiding out for the week.
posted by meowzilla at 10:03 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
The nearest sensor to me in Manhattan shows the current particulate count, as of 90 seconds ago, at 403.
I am out, wearing an N95, doing an essential errand. My anxiety is sky-high.
posted by minervous at 10:05 AM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
I am out, wearing an N95, doing an essential errand. My anxiety is sky-high.
posted by minervous at 10:05 AM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
Western states send their best wishes and regards.
Hahahaha, thought same and was about to post same.
I was supposed to do an outdoor show in August, I'm relieved that the venue gods who don't like the theater company have miraculously agreed to let us use the indoor venue instead this year, rather than have all the shows canceled for whatever fire will inevitably be raging in August.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:05 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Hahahaha, thought same and was about to post same.
I was supposed to do an outdoor show in August, I'm relieved that the venue gods who don't like the theater company have miraculously agreed to let us use the indoor venue instead this year, rather than have all the shows canceled for whatever fire will inevitably be raging in August.
posted by jenfullmoon at 10:05 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
The forecast for Toronto right now is that tomorrow (Thursday) will be even worse. There's even a chance we will get ash fall here. over 500km away from the nearest fires
posted by thecjm at 10:08 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by thecjm at 10:08 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
NYC here (Manhattan) - Yesterday afternoon I got a text from my sister in Alaska asking how we were doing with all the smoke and I had no idea what she was talking about. I checked the NYT site and my regular news app and there was also nothing - I had to hit Gothamist before I even saw anything saying this would be a problem. This morning walking the dog my phone said the air quality was “unhealthy” and to stay indoors until 2. So I wore a mask outside for the first time in at least two years. We’re right by the Hudson, so maybe the wind off the river made a difference (?) but you honestly couldn’t tell. Maybe one other person was masked. Riverside Park wasn’t significantly less crowded. Plenty of joggers and people on bikes were out. It made me feel sort of stupid, but I still didn’t stay out very long. Looking out the windows it still all seems fine. I really wonder if I even would have known if I hadn’t been on the lookout because of that text - and how many of the people I passed genuinely had no idea either.
Hoping everyone stays safe.
posted by Mchelly at 10:19 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Hoping everyone stays safe.
posted by Mchelly at 10:19 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I just passed someone on the street in downtown Brooklyn who said they thought the air "kind of smells like ham!" It wasn't too bad this morning, but seems to be getting progressively worse.
posted by cakelite at 10:22 AM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by cakelite at 10:22 AM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
as a Californian, firstly I send my hugs and hopes the fires get under control quickly. but I'd like to add, for those in affected areas: waking up to an orange sky and air quality warnings isn't just impactful on physical health. it can really do a number on your mental health too. so be gentle with yourselves, and check in on your friends and loved ones. go easy on yourself if you are feeling overwhelmed by doom. its scary!!
posted by supermedusa at 10:22 AM on June 7, 2023 [26 favorites]
posted by supermedusa at 10:22 AM on June 7, 2023 [26 favorites]
Here in Rhode Island, the sun was a damn tangerine yesterday morning.
We vacationed in Quebec City last summer, and the countryside there was just so beautiful: tall trees and roaring waterfalls and blue sky. Wishing the best to everyone affected.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:23 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
We vacationed in Quebec City last summer, and the countryside there was just so beautiful: tall trees and roaring waterfalls and blue sky. Wishing the best to everyone affected.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:23 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Yep, dig out the N95s for going out in the affected areas. It's darkness at noon here in one of the parts of Manhattan with very little green space. I can taste the air, indoors, with a HEPA air purifier going full blast.
posted by praemunire at 10:25 AM on June 7, 2023
posted by praemunire at 10:25 AM on June 7, 2023
Gaithersburg is sitting between 110-140 right now on the air quality index, wild.
posted by Slackermagee at 10:26 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Slackermagee at 10:26 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
It was nowhere near as bad where I am in Minnesota, but we did just have a few days of hazy skies, orange sunsets, and air quality alerts (unhealthy for sensitive groups), and now it's all blown east and intensified. The worst AQI I've been through in MN was in July 2021, when it hit 231 (Very Unhealthy) due to Canadian wildfires. I had to walk a short distance outdoors out of necessity, and I remember I had an irritated throat and a weak cough even with just 10 minutes outside. The whole city smelled like someone was burning leaves nearby.
I took a screenshot of the air quality alert for posterity and thought, "I wonder how much worse it's going to get?" I think I'll be finding that out in the coming months.
posted by castlebravo at 10:34 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
I took a screenshot of the air quality alert for posterity and thought, "I wonder how much worse it's going to get?" I think I'll be finding that out in the coming months.
posted by castlebravo at 10:34 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
But me not going for a run tonight because the sky is orange and the particulate level is in the 300s is not going to give me early-onset hypertension.
I wasn't suggesting that anyone should force themselves to exercise in an uncomfortable situation, just that the evidence suggests that if you want to exercise and the air quality doesn't bother you while you are out, you shouldn't worry about the health effects.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:38 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I wasn't suggesting that anyone should force themselves to exercise in an uncomfortable situation, just that the evidence suggests that if you want to exercise and the air quality doesn't bother you while you are out, you shouldn't worry about the health effects.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 10:38 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm in Dallas and we're under an AQI today, and looking at the maps, yes, it's those fires, in case you were wondering how far the smoke went. It's not anything like what the NY area folks are talking about but it is still a thing. Glad we bought the indoor air filter from Amazon a few weeks ago.
Good luck, east coasters.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 10:38 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Good luck, east coasters.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 10:38 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Ok, but you posted an article based on an unrelated study that honestly seems needlessly contrarian in this thread.
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 10:40 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Glegrinof the Pig-Man at 10:40 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Last week, we had a localized power outage, the second 3-day blackout in 10 months, in "Feels 100F" heat. I tried to shake a feeling THAT was an eerie preview of ... something.
Now this.
l frequently wake up in the morning with a cough due to allergies (and GERD). But today it was so bad, I took cough medicine, and wondered if, after three-plus years, I'd finally caught covid.
Ah yes, when you don't know if you have a once-in-a-century plague or it's the once in an epoch climate crisis that's been getting you down.
posted by NorthernLite at 10:43 AM on June 7, 2023 [12 favorites]
Now this.
l frequently wake up in the morning with a cough due to allergies (and GERD). But today it was so bad, I took cough medicine, and wondered if, after three-plus years, I'd finally caught covid.
Ah yes, when you don't know if you have a once-in-a-century plague or it's the once in an epoch climate crisis that's been getting you down.
posted by NorthernLite at 10:43 AM on June 7, 2023 [12 favorites]
The smoke is really bad here in Ottawa. My eyes are watering and I'm getting stuffed up, all you can smell is smoke, everything is covered in grey dust, and it is so dark and gloomy and weird out. Visibility is really low in the city. And not much hope for improvement this week.
posted by fimbulvetr at 10:47 AM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by fimbulvetr at 10:47 AM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
It's amazing how well the smoke shows up on daytime satellite imagery. An especially thick plume has moved over the NYC area over the last hour or so (although not all of it is near the ground).
For anyone along the coast who hopes the sea breeze may help clear the air, NOAA says it'll actually do the opposite -- instead, it'll help mix more of the higher altitude smoke down to the surface.
posted by theory at 10:50 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
For anyone along the coast who hopes the sea breeze may help clear the air, NOAA says it'll actually do the opposite -- instead, it'll help mix more of the higher altitude smoke down to the surface.
posted by theory at 10:50 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
NYT links:
N95 Masks Helped Protect Against the Coronavirus. They Also Work Against Wildfire Smoke.
Is It Safe to Go for a Run in Wildfire Smoke? Wednesday is Global Running Day, but experts advise against outdoor exercise in areas affected by smoke from the wildfires in Canada.
N95 Masks Helped Protect Against the Coronavirus. They Also Work Against Wildfire Smoke.
Is It Safe to Go for a Run in Wildfire Smoke? Wednesday is Global Running Day, but experts advise against outdoor exercise in areas affected by smoke from the wildfires in Canada.
Yes, it’s Global Running Day. No, you probably shouldn’t go for a run today.posted by jenfullmoon at 10:50 AM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
The New York Road Runners canceled all its Global Running Day-related events on Wednesday as smoke from wildfires in Canada drifted over large parts of the United States. “If you’re in NYC or any affected area, please read and follow your city’s health advisory regarding air quality for June 7, and consider running another day.”
On Tuesday, the running club had already urged people not to go for a run outside, and to log their outdoor miles after the skies had cleared. This is especially true for people who suffer from chronic respiratory conditions like asthma.
A 2021 study by the European Heart Journal concluded as much, saying that an increase in exercise in a highly polluted environment “may adversely affect cardiovascular health.”
“People should avoid exercising outdoors during smoky conditions,” California’s Air Resources Board advises. “Exposure and the resulting health effects depend on the amount of time spent outside, level of exertion, level of air pollution, and possible existing health conditions.”
During exercise, people largely breathe through their mouths instead of their noses. The mouth — unlike the nose — doesn’t have a natural filtration system for pollutants, which means more pollutants can enter the body, according to the American Lung Association. And the ultrafine particles aren’t exhaled during exercise.
For competitive athletes, there may be another reason to postpone an outdoor run: Polluted areas may also cause you to run slower, a 2019 study found.
Even better is a P100 mask with proper filter cartridges. They have better airflow than n95 disposable masks and you can actually exercise with them or just take a break from smelling smoke - or anything at all.
I bought one last year long before they sold out when the wildfire smoke actually arrived and ended up having very little smoke that year. We did have one local fire where I used it on a bike ride and then realized people were looking at me funny because I had biked out of the smoke and it was fine after a couple of miles.
I've also gotten a ton of use out of it for covid, because I live in a shared house - I've already had covid about 3-5 times and have been dealing with long covid and ME/CFS and really don't want to catch it ever again - and so I could isolate in my room and use when in the main house for cooking and restroom access to limit my risk and exposure. I didn't catch covid again during that so I guess it helped.
Cooing with a P100 on is super weird. I couldn't smell a single thing while cooking and then I'd get back to my room and take off my mask and finally smell my dinner.
My cartridges are technically expired but it still works and has good flow because I barely use it, and with something like wildfire smoke it's not like it's a critical health thing compared to the industrial use for stuff like organic solvents, paint or mineral dust that it's designed for.
For wildfire smoke it either works and you know it's working because you can't smell the smoke, or it doesn't because it's too clogged.
At this point I think a good P100 mask is something that everyone should have for both safety and utility, like a decent flashlight, some decent tools and some kind of basic disaster preparedness kit like some stored food and water.
Even without looming wildfire smoke it's super handy. Need to clean up some stinky trash or a really gross stink mess? P100. Random crafts with spray paint? P100! Getting all up in a smoky camp fire or backyard fire pit to tend it or cook on it? P100!
posted by loquacious at 10:51 AM on June 7, 2023 [16 favorites]
I bought one last year long before they sold out when the wildfire smoke actually arrived and ended up having very little smoke that year. We did have one local fire where I used it on a bike ride and then realized people were looking at me funny because I had biked out of the smoke and it was fine after a couple of miles.
I've also gotten a ton of use out of it for covid, because I live in a shared house - I've already had covid about 3-5 times and have been dealing with long covid and ME/CFS and really don't want to catch it ever again - and so I could isolate in my room and use when in the main house for cooking and restroom access to limit my risk and exposure. I didn't catch covid again during that so I guess it helped.
Cooing with a P100 on is super weird. I couldn't smell a single thing while cooking and then I'd get back to my room and take off my mask and finally smell my dinner.
My cartridges are technically expired but it still works and has good flow because I barely use it, and with something like wildfire smoke it's not like it's a critical health thing compared to the industrial use for stuff like organic solvents, paint or mineral dust that it's designed for.
For wildfire smoke it either works and you know it's working because you can't smell the smoke, or it doesn't because it's too clogged.
At this point I think a good P100 mask is something that everyone should have for both safety and utility, like a decent flashlight, some decent tools and some kind of basic disaster preparedness kit like some stored food and water.
Even without looming wildfire smoke it's super handy. Need to clean up some stinky trash or a really gross stink mess? P100. Random crafts with spray paint? P100! Getting all up in a smoky camp fire or backyard fire pit to tend it or cook on it? P100!
posted by loquacious at 10:51 AM on June 7, 2023 [16 favorites]
I live in Brooklyn and honestly didn't notice.
Um... I'm guessing you notice now, though, right? It's freaking me the fuck out.
posted by The Bellman at 10:54 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
Um... I'm guessing you notice now, though, right? It's freaking me the fuck out.
posted by The Bellman at 10:54 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
Yeah, I'm on LI right now, but right at the Queens border, and it is downright orange out there. I went outside to take a walk and turned right back around. It's giving Blood Moon for sure.
posted by uncleozzy at 10:57 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 10:57 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
Queens, NY. It’s 2 pm right now and literally as dark as 8:30 pm. Last night it smelled like burning paper and the moon was deep red. Thank god it’s not hot yet because I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like in a couple of weeks. The really terrifying part is that the Arctic is warming faster than the rest of the planet and it seems like this is just the beginning.
What’s with all the West Coast shade in this thread? Were we not all sympathetic enough last year?
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 11:03 AM on June 7, 2023 [10 favorites]
What’s with all the West Coast shade in this thread? Were we not all sympathetic enough last year?
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 11:03 AM on June 7, 2023 [10 favorites]
Let me amend my last comment “dark as 9:00 pm right now”.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 11:04 AM on June 7, 2023
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 11:04 AM on June 7, 2023
I loved my old apartment very much, but I'm grateful I was able to move to a place with air conditioning. We've had just enough bad air quality days the past few summers, and I heard enough horror stories from West Coat friends stuck inside for days on end due to smoke, to decide I wanted to be able to close the windows in summer if I needed to.
posted by EvaDestruction at 11:04 AM on June 7, 2023
posted by EvaDestruction at 11:04 AM on June 7, 2023
In Washington Post: "Is it safe to exercise outdoors when the air quality is bad?", a comment from Michael Koehle (who I quoted above as saying that the benefits of exercise generally outweighed the harm from pollution):
"'I’d probably still do my exercise outside,' when air quality is in the Orange zone, said Michael Koehle, director of the Environmental Physiology Laboratory at the University of British Columbia, senior author of the new Canadian position statement and an avid outdoors person.
'If it is in the Red zone, then I’d avoid long workouts' and probably move any exercise indoors, he said."
Again, this is not a question of recommending that you go outside, but guidance for people who want to.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 11:06 AM on June 7, 2023
"'I’d probably still do my exercise outside,' when air quality is in the Orange zone, said Michael Koehle, director of the Environmental Physiology Laboratory at the University of British Columbia, senior author of the new Canadian position statement and an avid outdoors person.
'If it is in the Red zone, then I’d avoid long workouts' and probably move any exercise indoors, he said."
Again, this is not a question of recommending that you go outside, but guidance for people who want to.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 11:06 AM on June 7, 2023
In related, climate-change-denying right-wing premier Danielle Smith was re-elected in Alberta last week, all during massive forest fires in that province.
posted by ovvl at 11:09 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by ovvl at 11:09 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Just leaving this here without further comment.
posted by aeshnid at 11:10 AM on June 7, 2023 [20 favorites]
posted by aeshnid at 11:10 AM on June 7, 2023 [20 favorites]
The mask helps but my eyes are stinging. If the Apple Vision Pro was available I would buy it right now just to protect my eyes and perhaps use it to magically AR away the visible air pollution for some nice blue skies. I think I've just realized what the next step in our ever increasing techno-hell-scape will be....
posted by interogative mood at 11:14 AM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 11:14 AM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
I'm in central New Jersey, and I didn't need to look at air quality data to know it's considerably worsened in the past hour or so. It went from sepia stained daylight to orange twilight, and the real-time PurpleAir quality map is showing AQIs of 300 to 450 in my vicinity. Even accounting for some sensor inaccuracies, that's not good.
posted by mollweide at 11:26 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by mollweide at 11:26 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
My wife points out (correctly) that one reason this whole thing may be freaking some New Yorkers out so much (she means me) is because it's somehow reminding them (me) of 9/11. She's right. Lower Manhattan right now feels a lot like it did that morning and it's a feeling that I guess I thought I had stored safely away.
posted by The Bellman at 11:27 AM on June 7, 2023 [42 favorites]
posted by The Bellman at 11:27 AM on June 7, 2023 [42 favorites]
I'm starting to smell smoke inside my house, with the windows shut. They're old and crappy windows, but still. The idea of creating a cheap HEPA filter or two with a box fan and furnace filter is looking more and more appealing.
posted by mollweide at 11:29 AM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by mollweide at 11:29 AM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
Here in Toledo our air purifier usually reports as being around 99% in terms of air quality. Today it was flashing red warning lights in the 50's and 60's.
posted by charred husk at 11:29 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by charred husk at 11:29 AM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Ground stop issued for LaGuardia due to low visibility
posted by 1970s Antihero at 11:31 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 11:31 AM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Having moved to Oregon a year ago after spending a lot of time here in the last five years, part of me keeps thinking "you think that's bad, we have an annual season for this here!" but also, like, I lived most of my adult life in NY, and it would be different there. It's a place that counts on you being able to get around outdoors. This is awful.
posted by Navelgazer at 11:32 AM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Navelgazer at 11:32 AM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
I'm in New Jersey and it feels like I'm sitting out by a campfire. I smell smoke everywhere and my eyes and throat hurt. It's coming from so far away, but it feels like it's right here. I have a friend in Manhattan who just sent me a photo and the sky is a deep orange.
posted by ceejaytee at 11:36 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by ceejaytee at 11:36 AM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I didn't really get how bad it is until I looked at some NYC Webcams.
posted by jclarkin at 11:38 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by jclarkin at 11:38 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
the wildfire season — which typically lasts between April and September
The season formerly known as summer.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:41 AM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
The season formerly known as summer.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 11:41 AM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
What’s with all the West Coast shade in this thread? Were we not all sympathetic enough last year?
I was just thinking, welcome to our world, folks. No shade intended on my end. I hadn't even heard it was happening in other areas until today.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:49 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
I was just thinking, welcome to our world, folks. No shade intended on my end. I hadn't even heard it was happening in other areas until today.
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:49 AM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
A "fun" time-lapse of the NYC skyline from NWS.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:06 PM on June 7, 2023 [10 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 12:06 PM on June 7, 2023 [10 favorites]
We are so not prepared for this here. Had to tell more than one teacher to close the windows. The school nurse is handing out masks to students who have to walk home, which is most of them. We have new filters but don't control the central air, it was off. Religiously-minded students are talking about the end times.
posted by subdee at 12:16 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by subdee at 12:16 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Is this related to the blood moon we had a couple of days ago? I missed it but seeing how my kid and I have been playing a lot of the new Zelda game we got a kick out of there being one anyway. Yesterday evening I was able to bike home from work fine. The wind was coming from the north which wasn't great because that's the direction I was going in but I didn't notice any air quality issues except that the sun was very orange/red and dim which made for a nice sunset. Because it was still somewhat light out I took a slightly longer way back along some ravine paths and had to keep my mouth shut the entire time because of the clouds of insects.
This morning the sky was hazy and the sun was still weak and the air smelled like a campfire. I'm heeding the air quality advisory and didn't bike to work today but my wife and kids still biked to work/school bus stop as they've got pretty easy rides and it takes less time and effort than walking would. I know that we get forest fires in Ontario but they usually don't affect the air quality here in Toronto.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:19 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
This morning the sky was hazy and the sun was still weak and the air smelled like a campfire. I'm heeding the air quality advisory and didn't bike to work today but my wife and kids still biked to work/school bus stop as they've got pretty easy rides and it takes less time and effort than walking would. I know that we get forest fires in Ontario but they usually don't affect the air quality here in Toronto.
posted by any portmanteau in a storm at 12:19 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
In Vermont's Green Mountains we had to cancel outdoor field trips and recess was held indoors. The skies are a grayish orange and the air quality is officially hazardous.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 12:26 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 12:26 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
I wish I could post the view from my window an hour or so ago, but it would be too doxx-able. Dull orange glow. I'm not sure if that reflects the thickness of the haze or the angle of the light hitting it, though. Does anyone know?
posted by praemunire at 12:27 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by praemunire at 12:27 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
(I have retreated into my smallest room with the twin to the living room air purifier and put towels under the door.)
posted by praemunire at 12:27 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by praemunire at 12:27 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Bill McKibben has some thoughts:
...we’re all lucky. Because this is what a huge percentage of the world’s people breathe every single day of their lives. In fact, we should probably—in our hearts if not our lungs—be grateful for a few days like this. They bring us much much closer to the lived experience of billions of our brothers and sisters.
And
Today in Vermont feels like a hundred days I’ve spent in New Delhi, in Shanghai, in Beijing, in Ahmedabad. Many of those were much worse: I’ve stood on Connaught Place and not been able to see the giant Indian flag flapping in Delhi’s Central Park, even though I knew if was a few hundred feet away at most.
That smoke doesn’t come from forest fires. It comes mostly from burning fossil fuels. But it’s all combustion, and it all does the same thing to your lungs. There are four and a half million children in New Delhi, and the estimate is that half of them have irreversible lung damage from breathing the air. Around the world, nine million deaths a year—one death in five—comes from breathing the combustion byproducts of fossil fuel. About a third of all deaths in Asia come from breathing fossil fuel pollution.
If the climate crisis is the great existential crisis on our earth, then smoke is the great daily crisis. Happily, they’re both caused by the same thing: burning coal and gas and oil. And even more happily, we know how to end it. We just stop burning stuff, and rely instead on the fact that there’s a large ball of burning gas at a safe 93-million-mile distance. We get all the fire we could ever want, and none of the smoke. Call it “external combustion.”
posted by doctornemo at 12:32 PM on June 7, 2023 [27 favorites]
...we’re all lucky. Because this is what a huge percentage of the world’s people breathe every single day of their lives. In fact, we should probably—in our hearts if not our lungs—be grateful for a few days like this. They bring us much much closer to the lived experience of billions of our brothers and sisters.
And
Today in Vermont feels like a hundred days I’ve spent in New Delhi, in Shanghai, in Beijing, in Ahmedabad. Many of those were much worse: I’ve stood on Connaught Place and not been able to see the giant Indian flag flapping in Delhi’s Central Park, even though I knew if was a few hundred feet away at most.
That smoke doesn’t come from forest fires. It comes mostly from burning fossil fuels. But it’s all combustion, and it all does the same thing to your lungs. There are four and a half million children in New Delhi, and the estimate is that half of them have irreversible lung damage from breathing the air. Around the world, nine million deaths a year—one death in five—comes from breathing the combustion byproducts of fossil fuel. About a third of all deaths in Asia come from breathing fossil fuel pollution.
If the climate crisis is the great existential crisis on our earth, then smoke is the great daily crisis. Happily, they’re both caused by the same thing: burning coal and gas and oil. And even more happily, we know how to end it. We just stop burning stuff, and rely instead on the fact that there’s a large ball of burning gas at a safe 93-million-mile distance. We get all the fire we could ever want, and none of the smoke. Call it “external combustion.”
posted by doctornemo at 12:32 PM on June 7, 2023 [27 favorites]
We're in Virginia this week. Last night the skies gradually silted up, turning the sun into a fiery ball wrapped in cotton, which you could actually look at for a few seconds at a time.
Today the skies were similar and burning scents wafted. I and others at this conference were noticeably coughing. Some folks just left to drive north, and are scared.
posted by doctornemo at 12:36 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Today the skies were similar and burning scents wafted. I and others at this conference were noticeably coughing. Some folks just left to drive north, and are scared.
posted by doctornemo at 12:36 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'm in Southern NJ about 20 minutes east of Philadelphia and it's miserable. I ordered air purifiers for our house and my mother's but they won't arrive until tomorrow.
posted by kimberussell at 12:40 PM on June 7, 2023
posted by kimberussell at 12:40 PM on June 7, 2023
Thank you for the gift links.
posted by kimberussell at 12:45 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by kimberussell at 12:45 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Besides being yellow and hazy, it's a bit chilly, considering that it's June. Is this haze enough to affect the temperature? I keep thinking about The Year Without a Summer.
posted by scratch at 12:49 PM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by scratch at 12:49 PM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
In my experience air purifiers do do the trick.
For other reasons I have air purifiers in multiple rooms, and when Seattle was at its worst I couldn’t smell smoke at all inside despite the extreme leakiness of my house (here's almost a half inch gap under my front door, for example).
posted by jamjam at 12:51 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
For other reasons I have air purifiers in multiple rooms, and when Seattle was at its worst I couldn’t smell smoke at all inside despite the extreme leakiness of my house (here's almost a half inch gap under my front door, for example).
posted by jamjam at 12:51 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Here in Minneapolis, it's not particularly unusual to get Western Canada or Western U.S. smoke. (Even 1988 was smoky at times due to fires around Yellowstone.) Quebec is a new source, though.
Smoke here hasn't been the worst ever, but a compounding issue here is that we're in yet another unnatural dry spell. If it would just rain, it would wash some of the soot away.
posted by gimonca at 12:53 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Smoke here hasn't been the worst ever, but a compounding issue here is that we're in yet another unnatural dry spell. If it would just rain, it would wash some of the soot away.
posted by gimonca at 12:53 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
The murky, orange/yellow skies was super creepy and oppressive. Like someone said above, there is a mental piece of this that is really hard, over and above the air quality. It really sucked out here the last few years, especially when it coincided with intense heat. I had never owned an air filter in my life, and now it feels normal to have several in the house.
Like someone said above, it's just going to become the norm to have whole-house filtration for those who can afford it.
posted by Dip Flash at 12:56 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Like someone said above, it's just going to become the norm to have whole-house filtration for those who can afford it.
posted by Dip Flash at 12:56 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
i would guess that the west coast shade comes from the fact that we have lived through smoke events for the last three or four summers. I'm sure all the east coast mefites gave us plenty of sympathy. But now, it's hitting NYC so NOW it is a big deal.
We will see how big a deal it is in terms of action re climate change.
Crank up those filters, put on your masks, and stay safe you all.
posted by Windopaene at 1:00 PM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
We will see how big a deal it is in terms of action re climate change.
Crank up those filters, put on your masks, and stay safe you all.
posted by Windopaene at 1:00 PM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
I'm on Long Island, about 30 miles east of New York City and we've had this sickly yellowish sky for more than a day. I can taste a little smoke in my house, and my outdoor lights have gone on, at 3:30 in the afternoon, because they perceive the arrival of darkness.
I'm back to wearing a mask if I have to go out.
And yes, some high school sports championship games and multiple school field trips have been canceled. School here runs pretty late into June so there's no graduations in danger.
That's too bad if there's stupid conversation on Twitter because the West has experienced it in the past. So what? We had sympathy for the Left Coast then. Our problem is our problem now and has nothing to do with what others have dealt with.
I sure hope Canada is okay. If we're experiencing this, I can't imagine what it's like up North.
posted by etaoin at 1:02 PM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
I'm back to wearing a mask if I have to go out.
And yes, some high school sports championship games and multiple school field trips have been canceled. School here runs pretty late into June so there's no graduations in danger.
That's too bad if there's stupid conversation on Twitter because the West has experienced it in the past. So what? We had sympathy for the Left Coast then. Our problem is our problem now and has nothing to do with what others have dealt with.
I sure hope Canada is okay. If we're experiencing this, I can't imagine what it's like up North.
posted by etaoin at 1:02 PM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
i would guess that the west coast shade comes from the fact that we have lived through smoke events for the last three or four summers. I'm sure all the east coast mefites gave us plenty of sympathy. But now, it's hitting NYC so NOW it is a big deal.
I guess there are some individuals who are clutching pearls and are shocked or surprised to be experiencing this on the east coast.
But I don't think we have to frame this conversation in terms of east coast V west coast. It's not really helpful and like so many others who are plugged in and paying attention, I have been aware of what's been happening for years and years on the west coast of N. America.
I made this post b/c its impacting a region that doesn't normally get hit with this type of specific extreme weather/environmental effect. We're all going to be dealing with this sooner than later.
posted by Fizz at 1:04 PM on June 7, 2023 [33 favorites]
I guess there are some individuals who are clutching pearls and are shocked or surprised to be experiencing this on the east coast.
But I don't think we have to frame this conversation in terms of east coast V west coast. It's not really helpful and like so many others who are plugged in and paying attention, I have been aware of what's been happening for years and years on the west coast of N. America.
I made this post b/c its impacting a region that doesn't normally get hit with this type of specific extreme weather/environmental effect. We're all going to be dealing with this sooner than later.
posted by Fizz at 1:04 PM on June 7, 2023 [33 favorites]
Silent calamity: The health impacts of wildfire smoke
The Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke May Last a Lifetime: Emerging research suggests exposure to wildfire smoke may alter the immune system for years.
The Health Effects of Wildfire Smoke May Last a Lifetime: Emerging research suggests exposure to wildfire smoke may alter the immune system for years.
“Clearly, the toxicants in air pollution are having a permanent effect on the DNA of immune cells,” says Lisa A. Miller, principal investigator and an immunologist at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “It’s a change that stays with that cell for its entire life.” The responses appears to be specific to youngsters: Miller and her team did not see significant immune changes among monkeys exposed to smoke as adults.posted by MrVisible at 1:07 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Though the altered immune systems have not led the monkeys to have more infections, all the smoke-exposed monkeys had “very profound changes” in lung structure and reduced lung function, Miller says.
Now almost 10 years old, the monkeys still show the same immune changes. Smoke-exposed females have even passed on some of those changes to their offspring.
People should really be reserving their righteous indignation for oil company execs and the climate change denial they've been lavishly funding, along with the various pundits and public figures who have done their bidding.
Time to round them up, hand them shovels, and send them to a fireline somewhere. No breaks and no water for the first 24 hours.
Rex Murphy should be among the first to be shoved into the back of a C-130 and airlifted to Chibougamau.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:10 PM on June 7, 2023 [29 favorites]
Time to round them up, hand them shovels, and send them to a fireline somewhere. No breaks and no water for the first 24 hours.
Rex Murphy should be among the first to be shoved into the back of a C-130 and airlifted to Chibougamau.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 1:10 PM on June 7, 2023 [29 favorites]
'If it is in the Red zone, then I’d avoid long workouts' and probably move any exercise indoors, he said."
Again, this is not a question of recommending that you go outside, but guidance for people who want to.
The red zone currently includes everyone from Norfolk to Ottawa, from Providence to Pittsburgh, except for the tens of millions of people in NYC, Philly, Syracuse, etc. even worse purple and maroon conditions.
Which is all of the people this thread is talking about.
Don't go out to exercise, says the key outdoor exercise expert as endorsed by the guy who keeps I'm-just-saying about going out to exercise.
posted by Superilla at 1:12 PM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
Again, this is not a question of recommending that you go outside, but guidance for people who want to.
The red zone currently includes everyone from Norfolk to Ottawa, from Providence to Pittsburgh, except for the tens of millions of people in NYC, Philly, Syracuse, etc. even worse purple and maroon conditions.
Which is all of the people this thread is talking about.
Don't go out to exercise, says the key outdoor exercise expert as endorsed by the guy who keeps I'm-just-saying about going out to exercise.
posted by Superilla at 1:12 PM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
It’s certainly not an east coast versus west coast thing, or at least not purely, given that all of you are ignoring the historic wildfires in Nova Scotia and resultant air quality issues.
posted by eviemath at 1:16 PM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by eviemath at 1:16 PM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
What’s with all the West Coast shade in this thread? Were we not all sympathetic enough last year?
Yeah WTF with this regionalism, this shit sucks for everyone and the bulk of these fires are in fact happening in a different country.
posted by aspersioncast at 1:20 PM on June 7, 2023 [9 favorites]
Yeah WTF with this regionalism, this shit sucks for everyone and the bulk of these fires are in fact happening in a different country.
posted by aspersioncast at 1:20 PM on June 7, 2023 [9 favorites]
Rex Murphy should be among the first to be shoved into the back of a C-130 and airlifted to Chibougamau.
If you're taking Rex, then throw Don Cherry into that mix. Two for one deal on assholes.
posted by Fizz at 1:25 PM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
If you're taking Rex, then throw Don Cherry into that mix. Two for one deal on assholes.
posted by Fizz at 1:25 PM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
I don't want to be too much of a connoseur, but I noticed a change in the smell of the smoke earlier today (Philadelphia)-- it's back to where it was, but I wonder if there are differences in what sort of plants are burning.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 1:27 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 1:27 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yeah, be careful when exercising outdoors. I went on a run during the night of the Camp Fire (2018, didn't know any better) and there was literally visible ash floating down from the sky. The air didn't smell smoky yet - in fact, it was unusually dry and cool. I ended up with a low-grade fever through the following week.
(Also gross - a non-zero amount of that ash was from houses and people, not just trees)
posted by meowzilla at 1:39 PM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
(Also gross - a non-zero amount of that ash was from houses and people, not just trees)
posted by meowzilla at 1:39 PM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
Yeah, not to drag on the OP, but I thought the framing of this was just so "of course." Of course the focus of Canadian wildfires is going to be how it's affecting poor, downtrodden Americans. Sheesh!
From a Canadian perspective, this isn't a west coast versus east coast thing. This is a our-whole-damn-country-is-going-up-in-flames thing. Alberta to Atlantic Canada pretty much covers most of Canada.
And yet, despite that, I don't really feel like I've got any right to talk about it. My home wasn't burned down to the foundation. I wasn't evacuated from my community and given no sense of when I'd be returning. The worst thing I've experienced is that when I went out yesterday in southern Ontario, everything was hazy and sort-of blurry. I was a bit shocked because even when air-quality reports have been bad (for other reasons), I've never really seen anything like the way the sky (and air) looked. It was a little bizarre, but then I thanked my lucky stars that I'm far away from where the forests are burning and that I'm one of the lucky people who know my general safety isn't really at risk (i.e. I'm not going to be burned to a crisp).
I have no idea what this is going to cost us as taxpayers (although I really don't care--this is one of those times when you say, forget the budget, this is a problem that needs to be fixed now). I have no idea how much wildlife or ecological diversity is going to be lost. I have no idea what we'll be able to do to prevent communities from being at risk again (although I suspect the answer will be "nothing.")
So much American crap makes its way across the border into our country, with much more long-term and negative impacts, that I seriously have zero sympathy for Americans having to put up with a few days of smoke from what is a major situation here.
(Okay, that's not quite true. I have total sympathy for people whose respiratory systems are struggling with the air quality, but that's on an individual level. As a society, I really don't care how you want to position your coastal and geological squabbles and insecurities.)
posted by sardonyx at 1:40 PM on June 7, 2023 [17 favorites]
From a Canadian perspective, this isn't a west coast versus east coast thing. This is a our-whole-damn-country-is-going-up-in-flames thing. Alberta to Atlantic Canada pretty much covers most of Canada.
And yet, despite that, I don't really feel like I've got any right to talk about it. My home wasn't burned down to the foundation. I wasn't evacuated from my community and given no sense of when I'd be returning. The worst thing I've experienced is that when I went out yesterday in southern Ontario, everything was hazy and sort-of blurry. I was a bit shocked because even when air-quality reports have been bad (for other reasons), I've never really seen anything like the way the sky (and air) looked. It was a little bizarre, but then I thanked my lucky stars that I'm far away from where the forests are burning and that I'm one of the lucky people who know my general safety isn't really at risk (i.e. I'm not going to be burned to a crisp).
I have no idea what this is going to cost us as taxpayers (although I really don't care--this is one of those times when you say, forget the budget, this is a problem that needs to be fixed now). I have no idea how much wildlife or ecological diversity is going to be lost. I have no idea what we'll be able to do to prevent communities from being at risk again (although I suspect the answer will be "nothing.")
So much American crap makes its way across the border into our country, with much more long-term and negative impacts, that I seriously have zero sympathy for Americans having to put up with a few days of smoke from what is a major situation here.
(Okay, that's not quite true. I have total sympathy for people whose respiratory systems are struggling with the air quality, but that's on an individual level. As a society, I really don't care how you want to position your coastal and geological squabbles and insecurities.)
posted by sardonyx at 1:40 PM on June 7, 2023 [17 favorites]
a large ball of burning gas at a safe 93-million-mile distance. We get all the fire we could ever want, and none of the smoke. Call it “external combustion.”
<twitches>
posted by SunSnork at 1:51 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
<twitches>
posted by SunSnork at 1:51 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
a large ball of burning gas
Just a quick reminder that the song lyrics were changed from "The Sun is a mass of incandescent gas" to "The Sun is a miasma of incandescent plasma".
posted by hippybear at 1:57 PM on June 7, 2023 [14 favorites]
Just a quick reminder that the song lyrics were changed from "The Sun is a mass of incandescent gas" to "The Sun is a miasma of incandescent plasma".
posted by hippybear at 1:57 PM on June 7, 2023 [14 favorites]
Another Torontonian. We have had haze and yellowed sunlight for a week or more, but today was the first day it really smelled like being downwind of Satan's Campfire. Tomorrow is expected to be worse, and then maybe some wind change.
I have some questions I hope to have answered someday:
posted by Artful Codger at 2:03 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I have some questions I hope to have answered someday:
- Are the fires predominently in virgin forest, or in logged-over areas, that were possibly replanted with commercial species, that haven't gone back to 'natural'? If virgin or mostly untouched forest is burning, this really IS climate change folks, and not just forestry mismanagement.
- Do these burns mean that the same areas are not likely to be serious fire risks for a few years?
- Especially in Canada's west, it might be helpful (or not) to understand what effect that cutbacks in forest firefighting capabilities have played in allowing more fires to get out of control.
- property damage and insurance claims. Leading to massive insurance premium increases
- How much commercially harvestable timber has been lost?
- How much extra CO2 has been released? How much carbon sink has been lost?
posted by Artful Codger at 2:03 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
If virgin or mostly untouched forest is burning, this really IS climate change folks, and not just forestry mismanagement.
I'm not sure about the Canadian forest regions, but we've been learning here in the US that the indigenous population used to do forest management that involved lighting fires to burn out undergrowth, and they were doing this for generations. Much of the problems we're having here involve that we've been allowing forests to be "virgin or mostly untouched", meaning completely overgrown with undergrowth that goes wild in the spring and then turns into kindling later. If it doesn't burn this year, it will soon.
I'm not sure untouched forests really work for human populations unless they are nomadic. Forests have evolved to burn periodically as a renewal for the ecosystem. The Native Americans were doing their own burns to diminish catastrophic fires and keep trees around. But we've stopped that cycle, and had a huge Zero Wildfire Policy for so long that there are entire stretches of forest that can't be maintained with controlled burns, and the only way for them to revert is through catastrophic fire renewal.
I'm not advocating for catastrophic fires. I wish we hadn't been so White Person Arrogant about how to manage our lands.
posted by hippybear at 2:10 PM on June 7, 2023 [14 favorites]
I'm not sure about the Canadian forest regions, but we've been learning here in the US that the indigenous population used to do forest management that involved lighting fires to burn out undergrowth, and they were doing this for generations. Much of the problems we're having here involve that we've been allowing forests to be "virgin or mostly untouched", meaning completely overgrown with undergrowth that goes wild in the spring and then turns into kindling later. If it doesn't burn this year, it will soon.
I'm not sure untouched forests really work for human populations unless they are nomadic. Forests have evolved to burn periodically as a renewal for the ecosystem. The Native Americans were doing their own burns to diminish catastrophic fires and keep trees around. But we've stopped that cycle, and had a huge Zero Wildfire Policy for so long that there are entire stretches of forest that can't be maintained with controlled burns, and the only way for them to revert is through catastrophic fire renewal.
I'm not advocating for catastrophic fires. I wish we hadn't been so White Person Arrogant about how to manage our lands.
posted by hippybear at 2:10 PM on June 7, 2023 [14 favorites]
I'm a San Franciscan in Manhattan right now on vacation. Before San Francisco I lived a few years in Beijing. I guess I'm cursed.
But I can tell you, everything you do to stay safe helps. Shutting the windows help. Air purifiers of course help. And we all have N95 masks from COVID right? Those are a big help. Today in Manhattan people wearing masks on the street went up from about 5% this morning to maybe 50% now. Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit better.
posted by mono blanco at 2:14 PM on June 7, 2023 [9 favorites]
But I can tell you, everything you do to stay safe helps. Shutting the windows help. Air purifiers of course help. And we all have N95 masks from COVID right? Those are a big help. Today in Manhattan people wearing masks on the street went up from about 5% this morning to maybe 50% now. Tomorrow is supposed to be a bit better.
posted by mono blanco at 2:14 PM on June 7, 2023 [9 favorites]
we've been learning here in the US that the indigenous population used to do forest management that involved lighting fires to burn out undergrowth, and they were doing this for generations
Same in Canada, but I'm wondering if the pre-conquest indigenous population levels (estimated at somewhere between 1 and 12 million in North America before Columbus) would have been sufficient to effectively fire-manage ALL the forested areas of N America. If nomadic... maybe. Or in enough areas.
And N America has only had human occupants for some 14000 years, suggesting some sort of human-free balance existed before then.
posted by Artful Codger at 2:30 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Same in Canada, but I'm wondering if the pre-conquest indigenous population levels (estimated at somewhere between 1 and 12 million in North America before Columbus) would have been sufficient to effectively fire-manage ALL the forested areas of N America. If nomadic... maybe. Or in enough areas.
And N America has only had human occupants for some 14000 years, suggesting some sort of human-free balance existed before then.
posted by Artful Codger at 2:30 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Can we avoid some kind of Montesquieu inspired noble savage derail about the potential forestry management practices of people our ancestors murdered.
posted by interogative mood at 2:35 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 2:35 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Artful Codger, there's actually a lot of different fires going on at the same time, no info has been made widely available about what exactly is burning. The focus here is mainly about trying to regain control and protect communities and critical infrastructure.
I've heard rumblings that the replanted forest fare worst when there are fires, also in places where there are infestations of spruce budworm you get a lot of dead trees which do not help, but the consensus seems to be that's climate change is changing the probabilities of things like this happening.
All in all, this year seemed to have a perfect storm of dry hot weather followed by enough lightning to start a bunch of different fires. There hasn't been any cutbacks to the forest fighting capabilities in Qc that anybody knows of, it's just way way more than we have historically, spread over a really large area.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 2:36 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
I've heard rumblings that the replanted forest fare worst when there are fires, also in places where there are infestations of spruce budworm you get a lot of dead trees which do not help, but the consensus seems to be that's climate change is changing the probabilities of things like this happening.
All in all, this year seemed to have a perfect storm of dry hot weather followed by enough lightning to start a bunch of different fires. There hasn't been any cutbacks to the forest fighting capabilities in Qc that anybody knows of, it's just way way more than we have historically, spread over a really large area.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 2:36 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
suggesting some sort of human-free balance existed before then
Land wasn't needed to be managed to protect settlements at that point, so there was a fire balance, but it was probably more like what we have now.
One thing about having wildfires -- depending on where you live, it creates the zones in which morel mushrooms grow.
posted by hippybear at 2:43 PM on June 7, 2023
Land wasn't needed to be managed to protect settlements at that point, so there was a fire balance, but it was probably more like what we have now.
One thing about having wildfires -- depending on where you live, it creates the zones in which morel mushrooms grow.
posted by hippybear at 2:43 PM on June 7, 2023
Just to get an idea of the distances involved, and also of how sparsely populated this area is. They evacuated Chibougamau last night and the nearest place to evacuate to is 230 km away!
posted by WaterAndPixels at 3:05 PM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by WaterAndPixels at 3:05 PM on June 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
Central NJ, with a fire burning just four miles from my home, and I was just informed that the small surgery I was due to have tomorrow has been cancelled due to air quality.
On my drive home, I saw one guy jogging, a couple in a classic convertible driving with the top down, and worst of all - someone allowing their dog to hang his head out of the window as the car was driving down the street. It's orange out there; I lost sight of cars driving in front of me, the haze is so thick. You can feel this air, and not in a good way, people, use your heads!!
posted by annieb at 3:09 PM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
On my drive home, I saw one guy jogging, a couple in a classic convertible driving with the top down, and worst of all - someone allowing their dog to hang his head out of the window as the car was driving down the street. It's orange out there; I lost sight of cars driving in front of me, the haze is so thick. You can feel this air, and not in a good way, people, use your heads!!
posted by annieb at 3:09 PM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
virgin forest?
No. I don't think that exists in Quebec.
Zoom into the interior of the Gaspe Penninsula around Murdochville.
You'll see how extensive it gets. You'll see the logging roads showing up white. And the lighter pale green areas are clearcut
The areas where the fires are burning are a rat's maze of logging roads.
Lot of clearcuts. Lot of scrag left behind . Branches etc Sometimes pushed to the side of the logging road in plies. Occasionally replanted. Poplar just left behind for some reason on the side of road.
These are not majestic redwoods.
It's scraggly softwood. Most goes for pulp paper plywood.
Some regenerates , Some is replanted
They've been logging for years.
posted by yyz at 3:11 PM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
No. I don't think that exists in Quebec.
Zoom into the interior of the Gaspe Penninsula around Murdochville.
You'll see how extensive it gets. You'll see the logging roads showing up white. And the lighter pale green areas are clearcut
The areas where the fires are burning are a rat's maze of logging roads.
Lot of clearcuts. Lot of scrag left behind . Branches etc Sometimes pushed to the side of the logging road in plies. Occasionally replanted. Poplar just left behind for some reason on the side of road.
These are not majestic redwoods.
It's scraggly softwood. Most goes for pulp paper plywood.
Some regenerates , Some is replanted
They've been logging for years.
posted by yyz at 3:11 PM on June 7, 2023 [5 favorites]
I don't want to be too much of a connoseur, but I noticed a change in the smell of the smoke earlier today (Philadelphia)-- it's back to where it was, but I wonder if there are differences in what sort of plants are burning.
Also in Philly. The scent was almost sweet for a couple of hours but very recently passed the threshold into headache-inducing. Last night it was just weird.
posted by grumpybear69 at 3:26 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Also in Philly. The scent was almost sweet for a couple of hours but very recently passed the threshold into headache-inducing. Last night it was just weird.
posted by grumpybear69 at 3:26 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
They've been logging for years.
I’d guess that would promote a pungent weediness in the plants that are burning, because such a pungency would deter deer and other herbivores which are a huge problem for saplings and other small plants, but can’t harm mature trees as easily.
But I'd bet it would also make the smoke significantly more irritating.
posted by jamjam at 3:30 PM on June 7, 2023
I’d guess that would promote a pungent weediness in the plants that are burning, because such a pungency would deter deer and other herbivores which are a huge problem for saplings and other small plants, but can’t harm mature trees as easily.
But I'd bet it would also make the smoke significantly more irritating.
posted by jamjam at 3:30 PM on June 7, 2023
The air seems closer to "bad pollution" and not "end of times" in Brooklyn now. I hope that's the worst of it. It really did get gnarly here. I live in the neighborhood that birthed oil refining in the US so I'm used to a certain level of pollution but this was something else. Did not enjoy the experience.
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 3:34 PM on June 7, 2023
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 3:34 PM on June 7, 2023
Philly has eased off, it's hazy, but the sky is gray with a little hint of blue rather than orange.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 3:43 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 3:43 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Was brutal in Toronto today. Had to help my elderly mom with some errands and we were N95-masked in the car and the grocery store, not outside for longer that it takes to walk to the car and I still felt shitty when I got home. Nasty headache and a raunchy throat that felt like I’d smoked a pack of Camels in between attempts at a Minnie Riperton high note.
I noticed on the smoke forecast site that the bad bad dark purple area engulfing Toronto earlier has moved on to NY and south, but they were saying tomorrow’s supposed to be worse so I’m a little worried.
posted by chococat at 3:55 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
I noticed on the smoke forecast site that the bad bad dark purple area engulfing Toronto earlier has moved on to NY and south, but they were saying tomorrow’s supposed to be worse so I’m a little worried.
posted by chococat at 3:55 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
And N America has only had human occupants for some 14000 years, suggesting some sort of human-free balance existed before then.
People basically moved in as the ice sheets melted back in the northern parts of the continent. There wasn't really much of a long pre-human ice-free (i.e., vegetated) period, unlike further south where things weren't covered in ice.
posted by Dip Flash at 3:55 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
People basically moved in as the ice sheets melted back in the northern parts of the continent. There wasn't really much of a long pre-human ice-free (i.e., vegetated) period, unlike further south where things weren't covered in ice.
posted by Dip Flash at 3:55 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Manhattan here. I went someplace early this morning and didn’t realize how bad it was getting until I left at noon, luckily to go home. By 2:00, it was like some sort of horror movie: it was dark out with a yellow tinge to everything. I even had to turn on the lights. I kept refreshing airnow.gov watching in fascination as the numbers went up.
The number is down to 333 (hazardous) now. That’s better than what it was, but not exactly reassuring.
I’ve dug up my N95’s. When I go out tomorrow, I’ll be wearing one.
posted by AMyNameIs at 3:58 PM on June 7, 2023
The number is down to 333 (hazardous) now. That’s better than what it was, but not exactly reassuring.
I’ve dug up my N95’s. When I go out tomorrow, I’ll be wearing one.
posted by AMyNameIs at 3:58 PM on June 7, 2023
I'm on the West Coast (Portland) and do not intend to throw any shade. But I'll echo those welcoming East coasters to the party. We're here together. This may be a one off for this year (I hope it dissipates quickly), but there will be more days like this, and they will get more frequent, and more widespread... and it's hard to prepare for.
Summer used to be such a wonderful blessing here. The long, dry days were just perfect. You could plan a barbecue or a hiking trip or a wedding without the slightest worry... months or even years in advance!
Smoke has changed everything. A warm spring fills me with dread over how long the fire season may be; a cool, wet spring does the same, as it means there's so much more fuel growing that may ignite. The winter leaves you so eager for long days and warm weather and then when it arrives it's so... bittersweet, at best.
I have never purchased trip insurance when booking a flight, but my family simply doesn't plan summer trips anymore without a contingency plan for smoke. That plan never looks fun.
I'm very sorry the East Coast is now experiencing this.
posted by dsword at 4:22 PM on June 7, 2023 [24 favorites]
Summer used to be such a wonderful blessing here. The long, dry days were just perfect. You could plan a barbecue or a hiking trip or a wedding without the slightest worry... months or even years in advance!
Smoke has changed everything. A warm spring fills me with dread over how long the fire season may be; a cool, wet spring does the same, as it means there's so much more fuel growing that may ignite. The winter leaves you so eager for long days and warm weather and then when it arrives it's so... bittersweet, at best.
I have never purchased trip insurance when booking a flight, but my family simply doesn't plan summer trips anymore without a contingency plan for smoke. That plan never looks fun.
I'm very sorry the East Coast is now experiencing this.
posted by dsword at 4:22 PM on June 7, 2023 [24 favorites]
One of my defining memories of Australia’s 2019/2020 summer was going to an outdoor screening of Frozen 2 on a 42 degree day(Celsius, 108F). Most outdoor screenings had been cancelled around then because of smoke but the wind cleared it that night.
For the duration of the screening there were firefighting aircraft of all sorts zooming overhead to the firefront not far south of us. One of the aircraft was the well-known DC-10 converted for water bombing. Do you know how weird it looks to see a large jet take off and then not climb?
Around the same time an international cricket match was abandoned here because the evening wind change brought the smoke with it. IIRC one of the players was hospitalised for smoke inhalation.
The hospital here had to stop using its MRI machine because the smoke interfered with it.
The smoke hung around from late November to early February. All we could do was stay indoors as much as possible. It absolutely sucked.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 4:47 PM on June 7, 2023 [14 favorites]
For the duration of the screening there were firefighting aircraft of all sorts zooming overhead to the firefront not far south of us. One of the aircraft was the well-known DC-10 converted for water bombing. Do you know how weird it looks to see a large jet take off and then not climb?
Around the same time an international cricket match was abandoned here because the evening wind change brought the smoke with it. IIRC one of the players was hospitalised for smoke inhalation.
The hospital here had to stop using its MRI machine because the smoke interfered with it.
The smoke hung around from late November to early February. All we could do was stay indoors as much as possible. It absolutely sucked.
posted by the duck by the oboe at 4:47 PM on June 7, 2023 [14 favorites]
Can we avoid some kind of Montesquieu inspired noble savage derail about the potential forestry management practices of people our ancestors murdered.
It's not a derail. Here's an article about indigenous "cultural burning" practices and how they could help with the kinds of wildfires we're seeing in Canada now. Here's an article about an indigenous-led review of BC's wildfire response in 2017 and how indigenous input was ignored. And here's an in-depth article about a pilot project by members of the Tsilhqot'in Nation to incorporate traditional practices into wildfire management; it also talks about how those practices were deliberately suppressed by settler governments. There has been a lot of discussion about this in the past few years. Forest management practices need to change, and indigenous knowledge about forest management needs to be taken seriously as a part of that.
posted by Gerald Bostock at 5:01 PM on June 7, 2023 [43 favorites]
It's not a derail. Here's an article about indigenous "cultural burning" practices and how they could help with the kinds of wildfires we're seeing in Canada now. Here's an article about an indigenous-led review of BC's wildfire response in 2017 and how indigenous input was ignored. And here's an in-depth article about a pilot project by members of the Tsilhqot'in Nation to incorporate traditional practices into wildfire management; it also talks about how those practices were deliberately suppressed by settler governments. There has been a lot of discussion about this in the past few years. Forest management practices need to change, and indigenous knowledge about forest management needs to be taken seriously as a part of that.
posted by Gerald Bostock at 5:01 PM on June 7, 2023 [43 favorites]
It's not just wildfire management though, right?
but also "confronting the underlying issues of unsustainable resource extraction and land and fire management that have created the conditions'' for recurring, major fires.
that seems like a different question from figuring out how to do the same thing while also making sure there aren't plumes of smoke over Montreal, Toronto, New York and DC.
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 5:23 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
but also "confronting the underlying issues of unsustainable resource extraction and land and fire management that have created the conditions'' for recurring, major fires.
that seems like a different question from figuring out how to do the same thing while also making sure there aren't plumes of smoke over Montreal, Toronto, New York and DC.
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 5:23 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
N95 Masks Helped Protect Against the Coronavirus. They Also Work Against Wildfire Smoke.
Why is the first sentence in the past tense?
posted by supercres at 5:26 PM on June 7, 2023 [30 favorites]
Why is the first sentence in the past tense?
posted by supercres at 5:26 PM on June 7, 2023 [30 favorites]
I live in a place with leaky windows, and I have asthma. Last Fall in Seattle? I had some success with some window covering plastic kits, like those used for weatherproofing. That + some extra weatherproofing tape helped keep 99% of the smoke out of my apartment, and the HEPA air filters on full whack took care of the extra 1%. I just ordered a fresh kit for this fire season.
That, and donning P100 respirators + goggles whenever I have to go anywhere outside.
I'm sorry that the East Coast is experiencing this.
posted by spinifex23 at 5:42 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
That, and donning P100 respirators + goggles whenever I have to go anywhere outside.
I'm sorry that the East Coast is experiencing this.
posted by spinifex23 at 5:42 PM on June 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Gerald Bostock: And here's an in-depth article about a pilot project by members of the Tsilhqot'in Nation to incorporate traditional practices into wildfire management; it also talks about how those practices were deliberately suppressed by settler governments.
Thanks for the links! The last article in particular gets into the details. This bit jumped out at me:
posted by clawsoon at 5:53 PM on June 7, 2023 [11 favorites]
Thanks for the links! The last article in particular gets into the details. This bit jumped out at me:
A comment from Lil’wat Elder Baptiste Richie, recorded by Nancy Turner in 1969, details the impact of the campaign against burning: “If you go to burn then you get into trouble because the white men want to grow trees. Because they changed our ways they do good for us and we eat the food that the white men use. Then we forget the good food of our earliest forefathers. … Now they have all disappeared because the hills grew weedy and no one seems to tend them, no one clears them as our forefathers did so thoroughly.”That is such a great "capitalism did this" example. Here you have lands that were producing a bunch of different foods that sustained a local population, but then somebody in a financial office in Toronto or New York or London looked at a surveyor's map, said, "That area would give the largest return on a capital investment if it was dedicated to logging," and capital set the wheels in motion to destroy one set of forest management practises and replace them with another.
posted by clawsoon at 5:53 PM on June 7, 2023 [11 favorites]
Intermountain West here, and — as someone who’s experienced darn-near-chewable air quality every January and July, since God had a little pink bow glued on Her newborn head — I just want to second everything praemunire said above. Wholeheartedly.
As long as I’ve known this region, it’s been torn between the conflicting priorities of burying its head in A) the sand or B) its own ass. It doesn’t seem fair that the more progressive, empathetic regions of the continent are increasingly paying the price for our stubborn cowboy arrogance.
(I mean, they're not MY cowboys. My gerrymandered vote does about as much good as offering a Kleenex to an active volcano. But at least I’m used to the fetid results. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else.)
I’m sending you all good mojo from my jaded little heart. Please take good care, whatever that looks like for you.
posted by armeowda at 7:39 PM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
As long as I’ve known this region, it’s been torn between the conflicting priorities of burying its head in A) the sand or B) its own ass. It doesn’t seem fair that the more progressive, empathetic regions of the continent are increasingly paying the price for our stubborn cowboy arrogance.
(I mean, they're not MY cowboys. My gerrymandered vote does about as much good as offering a Kleenex to an active volcano. But at least I’m used to the fetid results. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone else.)
I’m sending you all good mojo from my jaded little heart. Please take good care, whatever that looks like for you.
posted by armeowda at 7:39 PM on June 7, 2023 [7 favorites]
Via the CBC - a summary of advice about protecting oneself during smoke episodes. There's also a map showing the jaw-dropping extent of the smoke in the east.
posted by Artful Codger at 8:00 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Artful Codger at 8:00 PM on June 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Can we avoid some kind of Montesquieu inspired noble savage derail about the potential forestry management practices of people our ancestors murdered.
I just want to say that this is such a racist and repulsive thing to say. Indigenous people are still here in North America advocating for these practices and they have mostly been ignored by a political system steeped in racism and yes, genocide.
From the national park service.
From the government of BC which goes through devastating forest fires every single year.
From the UCLA
From the CTV
Please don't talk about Indigenous people as if they're dead. They are not.
posted by Neronomius at 8:20 PM on June 7, 2023 [37 favorites]
I just want to say that this is such a racist and repulsive thing to say. Indigenous people are still here in North America advocating for these practices and they have mostly been ignored by a political system steeped in racism and yes, genocide.
From the national park service.
From the government of BC which goes through devastating forest fires every single year.
From the UCLA
From the CTV
Please don't talk about Indigenous people as if they're dead. They are not.
posted by Neronomius at 8:20 PM on June 7, 2023 [37 favorites]
Please don't talk about Indigenous people as if they're dead. They are not.
They are also members here, which made the original comment extra inappropriate.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:42 PM on June 7, 2023 [16 favorites]
They are also members here, which made the original comment extra inappropriate.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:42 PM on June 7, 2023 [16 favorites]
Well, at least we've finally found something John Brunner wasn't eerily accurate about. See, at the end of The Sheep Look Up (which appears to be the Brunner novel we're living in this week, whereas most other weeks in the US, it seems to be Jagged Orbit), there's smoke spreading into Canada because the US is burning.
posted by Ghidorah at 8:47 PM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by Ghidorah at 8:47 PM on June 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
> These are not majestic redwoods. It's scraggly softwood
Redwoods are conifers & therefore softwoods.
posted by ASCII Costanza head at 9:10 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Redwoods are conifers & therefore softwoods.
posted by ASCII Costanza head at 9:10 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
The smoke pollution from the catastrophic 2019-2020 Australian bushfires caused miscarriages and premature births.
It's very likely the smoke pollution from the current Canadian wildfires will do the same :(
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 9:14 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
It's very likely the smoke pollution from the current Canadian wildfires will do the same :(
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 9:14 PM on June 7, 2023 [2 favorites]
Re: The Sheep Look Up (and was recollecting the same scene yesterday) I recalled a woman in Ireland with a head cold concerned if *she* could smell smoke it must be quite a fire. Someone tells her the wind was blowing in from the sea and that's America burning. Wikipedia tells it slightly differently:
I was recalling that one in our last plague. That story had a contagion escaping a lab. It was putting people into a coma - but when they came out of it their brains were rewired resulting in increased recall, empathy, and intelligence. I was wishing we got that plague instead.
Edit: misread comment about The Jagged Orbit so slight modification of reply.
posted by rochrobbb at 3:51 AM on June 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
The final scene takes place in Ireland, where a woman is letting a doctor into her home. She sees billowing plumes of smoke and suggests them to call the fire department. The doctor responds, “The brigade would have a long way to go, it’s from America. The wind’s blowing that way.”Here's the link for John Brunner. I recall an interview where he said there was a little too much going on in The Jagged Orbit (still one I like, with topical elements like manufactured news and an out-of-control gun industry). The ending of The Sheep Look Up was such a bummer he followed it up with The Stone That Never Came Down to have something end on an optimistic note.
I was recalling that one in our last plague. That story had a contagion escaping a lab. It was putting people into a coma - but when they came out of it their brains were rewired resulting in increased recall, empathy, and intelligence. I was wishing we got that plague instead.
Edit: misread comment about The Jagged Orbit so slight modification of reply.
posted by rochrobbb at 3:51 AM on June 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
Huh. I’d always remembered it as smoke in Canada, and the farmer wondering if it came from the farm next door, but yeah, Iceland wouldn’t be surprising.
posted by Ghidorah at 5:02 AM on June 8, 2023
posted by Ghidorah at 5:02 AM on June 8, 2023
Philly hit the mid-400s last night for PM2.5 and is currently at 351. I was out on the roof for a little bit snapping pictures of the haze, unwisely unmasked, and I woke up in the middle of the night because my nose was running. I also have a terrible headache, which, yes, is in part due to the two sidecars I had, but also my wife had the same number of sidecars and isn't feeling so terrible and also wasn't a bonehead who went outside without a mask on.
Our kitchen started to smell like smoke because it was leeching in through our properly ventilated exhaust hood, so that's been running on low for the last 12 hours. We also have an air purifier constantly on low in our bedroom.
This is just to say that we are in good health and have everything we need to stay safe and are still feeling the effects of this. So many people are going to have short- and long-term effects from this, particularly in central PA where that 400+ cloud is just, like, taking up residence. It is fortunate that this did not hit during an actual heatwave where people would need to put in window A/C, because that would present a true Faustian bargain.
posted by grumpybear69 at 6:18 AM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Our kitchen started to smell like smoke because it was leeching in through our properly ventilated exhaust hood, so that's been running on low for the last 12 hours. We also have an air purifier constantly on low in our bedroom.
This is just to say that we are in good health and have everything we need to stay safe and are still feeling the effects of this. So many people are going to have short- and long-term effects from this, particularly in central PA where that 400+ cloud is just, like, taking up residence. It is fortunate that this did not hit during an actual heatwave where people would need to put in window A/C, because that would present a true Faustian bargain.
posted by grumpybear69 at 6:18 AM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Our kitchen started to smell like smoke because it was leeching in through our properly ventilated exhaust hood, so that's been running on low for the last 12 hours. We also have an air purifier constantly on low in our bedroom.
You might consider closing off the vent hood with plastic wrap and tape instead -- by running the exhaust fan, you are then pulling that same amount of air into the house from gaps under doors, leaks around windows, etc.
This is just to say that we are in good health and have everything we need to stay safe and are still feeling the effects of this.
This sounds so familiar from recent years out west. One of the horrible things with these smoke events is that no matter how horrible it is for everyone, most of the impacts are so disproportionately felt by the more vulnerable -- the unhoused population doesn't have an "indoor" space at all, much less air filtration; people who work manual labor jobs end up with a choice of no pay or breathing smoke, and so on.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:51 AM on June 8, 2023 [9 favorites]
You might consider closing off the vent hood with plastic wrap and tape instead -- by running the exhaust fan, you are then pulling that same amount of air into the house from gaps under doors, leaks around windows, etc.
This is just to say that we are in good health and have everything we need to stay safe and are still feeling the effects of this.
This sounds so familiar from recent years out west. One of the horrible things with these smoke events is that no matter how horrible it is for everyone, most of the impacts are so disproportionately felt by the more vulnerable -- the unhoused population doesn't have an "indoor" space at all, much less air filtration; people who work manual labor jobs end up with a choice of no pay or breathing smoke, and so on.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:51 AM on June 8, 2023 [9 favorites]
For a brief bit of levity during this, let me tell you about a work encounter yesterday afternoon. Two of the women I work with went out for their lunchtime smoke as usual, and when I said, "Really? But it's so bad out there!" Without missing a beat, one of them replied, "Oh don't worry, we're just going to sit in my car to smoke."
....uh, okay. Fair play!
posted by Kitteh at 8:32 AM on June 8, 2023 [6 favorites]
....uh, okay. Fair play!
posted by Kitteh at 8:32 AM on June 8, 2023 [6 favorites]
I kept refreshing airnow.gov watching in fascination as the numbers went up.
I'm in Vermont on the other side of the Green Mountains and am getting confusing results from that page. Our air seems decent (big hugs to people having difficult times) both by looking at it but also looking at the maps. However the page consistently is saying that the air quality is unhealthy and I'm not sure why maps look green and this looks red. Anyone who is more of a map jockey have an idea?
posted by jessamyn at 8:55 AM on June 8, 2023
I'm in Vermont on the other side of the Green Mountains and am getting confusing results from that page. Our air seems decent (big hugs to people having difficult times) both by looking at it but also looking at the maps. However the page consistently is saying that the air quality is unhealthy and I'm not sure why maps look green and this looks red. Anyone who is more of a map jockey have an idea?
posted by jessamyn at 8:55 AM on June 8, 2023
Here in DC the air quality is officially shit today, easily as bad as it was in Wyoming a couple summers ago when everything was burning. I should probably not have biked in yesterday.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:16 AM on June 8, 2023
posted by aspersioncast at 9:16 AM on June 8, 2023
jessamyn - I've had an issue with the AirNow site showing me misleading color-summary info. The AirNow app can show two numbers: ozone and particles (PM2.5). The particles are what we care about for smoke. In my location the particle number has been missing (maybe just the sensor is offline or something?), and *in its place* it is showing me the ozone number which is "ok". So it's giving me a green light for air quality (based on just using the ozone number alone), and that's misleading, a bad design choice IMO. The purpleair map is showing me a current reading from another sensor here that shows the particle number is unsafely high.
Although - when I look at Vermont, the purpleair readings there look green, so maybe the AirNow green is just accurate in your case? Maybe the forecast was for unsafe air but the smoke stream has moved a little west of where they expected or something?
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:24 AM on June 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
Although - when I look at Vermont, the purpleair readings there look green, so maybe the AirNow green is just accurate in your case? Maybe the forecast was for unsafe air but the smoke stream has moved a little west of where they expected or something?
posted by LobsterMitten at 9:24 AM on June 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
Toronto was less smoky (subjectively speaking) from about last evening til about 11:30 EDT this morning. We got to air the place out a bit. After 11:30, smelling smoky again... windows closed. Beatles CDs on rotation for another indoor day.
posted by Artful Codger at 9:52 AM on June 8, 2023
posted by Artful Codger at 9:52 AM on June 8, 2023
The first time I ever experienced wildfire smoke was in Asheville, NC in November of 2016 - the fires that would burn down a lot of Gatlinburg, TN. Early this morning I went looking for the photos I took of the orange haze. It was so apocalyptic and the timing was so apropos. I will never forget it. And here we are again.
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:58 AM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mygothlaundry at 9:58 AM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Purpleair sensors are known to over-estimate particulate matter:
https://community.purpleair.com/t/purple-air-data-vs-epa-data/2321
Purpleair added an option to push their sensor readings through a different algorithm to make them more in-line with the EPA sensors (under "Apply Conversion").
On the other hand, the EPA sensors do more averaging so it's going to feel delayed.
From personal experience staring at the purpleair map, there are sensors that can go bad. Some sensors just get stuck high or low. If you have only a few in your area, it becomes less reliable.
posted by meowzilla at 10:01 AM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
https://community.purpleair.com/t/purple-air-data-vs-epa-data/2321
Purpleair added an option to push their sensor readings through a different algorithm to make them more in-line with the EPA sensors (under "Apply Conversion").
On the other hand, the EPA sensors do more averaging so it's going to feel delayed.
From personal experience staring at the purpleair map, there are sensors that can go bad. Some sensors just get stuck high or low. If you have only a few in your area, it becomes less reliable.
posted by meowzilla at 10:01 AM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
The WeWork I go to boasted this morning about all the indoor air quality features they have In the building. However the latest blast of smoke has turned the monitors deep purple on the EPA site and the whole office smells of smoke so I'm going home.
posted by interogative mood at 10:02 AM on June 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 10:02 AM on June 8, 2023 [2 favorites]
The Purpleair map is showing three wildly different readings in my neighborhood, in spots that are only a few blocks away from each other. Is that....normal?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:02 AM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:02 AM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
Make sure you turn off "indoor" sensors. Those also have a black circle outline around the reading.
posted by meowzilla at 10:05 AM on June 8, 2023
posted by meowzilla at 10:05 AM on June 8, 2023
Make sure you turn off "indoor" sensors.
I can see the black circle outline, but how do I turn off those sensors on the map?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:11 AM on June 8, 2023
I can see the black circle outline, but how do I turn off those sensors on the map?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:11 AM on June 8, 2023
The WeWork I go to
Well there's the problem right there!
posted by grumpybear69 at 10:14 AM on June 8, 2023
Well there's the problem right there!
posted by grumpybear69 at 10:14 AM on June 8, 2023
In the upper left corner, where by default it says "US EPA PM 2.5 AQI", that is actually a menu.
Click on it, midway down the options list, there are checkboxes for "Show outside / show inside". Uncheck the "show inside" option.
posted by meowzilla at 10:14 AM on June 8, 2023
Click on it, midway down the options list, there are checkboxes for "Show outside / show inside". Uncheck the "show inside" option.
posted by meowzilla at 10:14 AM on June 8, 2023
My home is very small and there isn’t enough space for an office, much less meeting space for clients. WeWork is one of the more affordable options for my particular set of needs. Might as well enjoy the nice facilities paid for with those rich investor dollars while they last.
posted by interogative mood at 1:04 PM on June 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by interogative mood at 1:04 PM on June 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
My home is very small and there isn’t enough space for an office, much less meeting space for clients. WeWork is one of the more affordable options for my particular set of needs. Might as well enjoy the nice facilities paid for with those rich investor dollars while they last.
No, I get it, I was a WeWork client for years for the same reason. I even really liked it! But I couldn't miss an opportunity to take a dig at them after the whole fiasco right before the pandemic.
posted by grumpybear69 at 3:14 PM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
No, I get it, I was a WeWork client for years for the same reason. I even really liked it! But I couldn't miss an opportunity to take a dig at them after the whole fiasco right before the pandemic.
posted by grumpybear69 at 3:14 PM on June 8, 2023 [1 favorite]
The first time I ever experienced wildfire smoke was in Asheville, NC in November of 2016 - the fires that would burn down a lot of Gatlinburg, TN. Early this morning I went looking for the photos I took of the orange haze. It was so apocalyptic and the timing was so apropos. I will never forget it. And here we are again.
We had that same smoke. The day after the 2016 election, the sky was orange all day and smelled like burning rubber and there was an asshole walking around our campus with a Confederate flag and a "Let's build the fucking wall" t-shirt. It really felt like we were in hell.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:25 PM on June 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
We had that same smoke. The day after the 2016 election, the sky was orange all day and smelled like burning rubber and there was an asshole walking around our campus with a Confederate flag and a "Let's build the fucking wall" t-shirt. It really felt like we were in hell.
posted by hydropsyche at 4:25 PM on June 8, 2023 [4 favorites]
I'm not patriotic at all but man I'm moved to tears by this video of the South African fire fighters singing as they arrive in Canada to help fight the fires
posted by Zumbador at 8:00 AM on June 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
posted by Zumbador at 8:00 AM on June 9, 2023 [4 favorites]
....I am as well - and I'm also now really ashamed that the framing of this post, and the comments therein, is more "USians being inconvenienced by Canadian wildfires" instead of "CANADIANS DEALING WITH A SHIT-TON OF WILDFIRES".
....Towards that end, I found some links of news coverage to shift that focus a bit:
* In Nova Scotia, the province is offering grants of $2,500 to farmers affected by the fires, and a bunch of sporting goods stores have rallied to donate clothing and sports equipment to families. Anyone who was ordered to evacuate in Nova Scotia can return home.
* Quebec is also offering financial assistance to those forced to evacuate, particularly to cover evacuation expenses.
* About 2,000 people were ordered to evacuate from a UNESCO national park in B.C.
* The fire in the Northwest Territory is one of the biggest on record - 24 times the size of the city of Yellowknife.
* Finally, the premier of Alberta is stubbornly downplaying the impact of climate change on the fires and is still thinking arson may be part of the cause.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:30 AM on June 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
....Towards that end, I found some links of news coverage to shift that focus a bit:
* In Nova Scotia, the province is offering grants of $2,500 to farmers affected by the fires, and a bunch of sporting goods stores have rallied to donate clothing and sports equipment to families. Anyone who was ordered to evacuate in Nova Scotia can return home.
* Quebec is also offering financial assistance to those forced to evacuate, particularly to cover evacuation expenses.
* About 2,000 people were ordered to evacuate from a UNESCO national park in B.C.
* The fire in the Northwest Territory is one of the biggest on record - 24 times the size of the city of Yellowknife.
* Finally, the premier of Alberta is stubbornly downplaying the impact of climate change on the fires and is still thinking arson may be part of the cause.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:30 AM on June 9, 2023 [7 favorites]
....I am as well - and I'm also now really ashamed that the framing of this post, and the comments therein, is more "USians being inconvenienced by Canadian wildfires" instead of "CANADIANS DEALING WITH A SHIT-TON OF WILDFIRES".
This is completely (and shamefully) the way it is being covered here in major media. Like, the NY Times had several days of front page photos of smokey skies over NYC and breathless (ba dum) coverage of the smoke, then finally today, as the air in NY starts to clear, an actual photo of actual Canadian fires and a minor headline about the impact of the fires in Canada.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:23 AM on June 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
This is completely (and shamefully) the way it is being covered here in major media. Like, the NY Times had several days of front page photos of smokey skies over NYC and breathless (ba dum) coverage of the smoke, then finally today, as the air in NY starts to clear, an actual photo of actual Canadian fires and a minor headline about the impact of the fires in Canada.
posted by Dip Flash at 9:23 AM on June 9, 2023 [3 favorites]
* Finally, the premier of Alberta is stubbornly downplaying the impact of climate change on the fires and is still thinking arson may be part of the cause.
Imagine my shock at our anti-vax, anti-mask, quack-medicine-promoting, anti-trans, pretendian, pro-Putin premier saying such a thing. To quote the title of a first-season Succession episode, it's just another Shit Show At The Fuck Factory.
posted by hangashore at 9:28 AM on June 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
Imagine my shock at our anti-vax, anti-mask, quack-medicine-promoting, anti-trans, pretendian, pro-Putin premier saying such a thing. To quote the title of a first-season Succession episode, it's just another Shit Show At The Fuck Factory.
posted by hangashore at 9:28 AM on June 9, 2023 [9 favorites]
My personal favorite conspiracy theory of the moment is that Trudeau personally ordered men in helicopters out to start waves of massive forest fires, so that he can then blame climate change for the wildfires and justify massive increases in climate taxes, and that Americans should be able to sue Trudeau personally for damages due to diminished American air quality.
And/or that Trudeau knows that his tyrannical rule is about to be overthrown by True Patriots, so he ordered men to burn Canada to the ground instead so that he may continue ruling over the ashes.
No word yet on how George Soros ties into either.
posted by delfin at 10:18 AM on June 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
And/or that Trudeau knows that his tyrannical rule is about to be overthrown by True Patriots, so he ordered men to burn Canada to the ground instead so that he may continue ruling over the ashes.
No word yet on how George Soros ties into either.
posted by delfin at 10:18 AM on June 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Use the Airwyn app to track any public purple air monitor in real time
posted by eustatic at 11:48 AM on June 9, 2023
posted by eustatic at 11:48 AM on June 9, 2023
Hello from Cancer Alley, where i am a big fan of those "four 20x20 air filters taped to a box fan" deals
Best of luck to you all
posted by eustatic at 11:50 AM on June 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best of luck to you all
posted by eustatic at 11:50 AM on June 9, 2023 [1 favorite]
About 2,000 people were ordered to evacuate from a UNESCO national park in B.C.
Just to be clear, UNESCO Geoparks are different from National Parks. They are big areas that are interesting geologically and can include cities and towns. Tumbler Ridge Geoparks is 7,822 km2. Still important but not the same as saying 2000 people were evacuated from Yosemite, or something.
Still might be an interesting opportunity to see if there are any Geoparks near you!
posted by carolr at 2:09 PM on June 9, 2023
Just to be clear, UNESCO Geoparks are different from National Parks. They are big areas that are interesting geologically and can include cities and towns. Tumbler Ridge Geoparks is 7,822 km2. Still important but not the same as saying 2000 people were evacuated from Yosemite, or something.
Still might be an interesting opportunity to see if there are any Geoparks near you!
posted by carolr at 2:09 PM on June 9, 2023
Any idea how much soot makes it up into the stratosphere this time?
I think forest fires have a wide range of temperatures depending upon fuel, but one source says "the average forest fire sends temperatures rocketing up past 800°C". Another source says the ceiling could be 800°C in a house fire.
posted by jeffburdges at 10:23 AM on June 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
I think forest fires have a wide range of temperatures depending upon fuel, but one source says "the average forest fire sends temperatures rocketing up past 800°C". Another source says the ceiling could be 800°C in a house fire.
posted by jeffburdges at 10:23 AM on June 11, 2023 [1 favorite]
At least one estimate they'll burn all summer.
posted by jeffburdges at 4:09 PM on June 13, 2023
posted by jeffburdges at 4:09 PM on June 13, 2023
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posted by hippybear at 8:38 AM on June 7, 2023 [72 favorites]