This is a screen grab from the Western Canada BlueSky Smoke Forecasting System

With all the problems caused by the extremely dense wildfire smoke in Russia, it is timely that the provinces of Alberta and British Columbia have unveiled a new system for predicting where and in what concentrations wildfire smoke will occur.

When you visit the BC Air Quality web site an animation will begin. If there are no major fires burning, it may be difficult to see anything happening, but if you increase the Play Speed, it will become more obvious. The software is called Western Canada BlueSky Smoke Forecasting System and cost $95,000 to develop.

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Wildfire Today contacted the National Weather Service and asked if the massive amount of smoke generated by the wildfires in Russia is drifting across North America. They pointed us toward this narrative of smoke observed in satellite imagery on August 3, 2010. Here is an excerpt:

…Some of this smoke [in Alaska and northwestern Canada] was likely due to fires scattered across central and east central Alaska as well as northwestern Canada. However, it is possible that smoke from the fires in Russia was also being transported across the Arctic into this region. Another band of smoke which is likely from the Russian fires was seen in visible satellite imagery this evening through breaks in the clouds moving to the northeast across the Pacific between 44N170W and 49N161W. The smoke may extend even farther to the northeast, but cloudiness prevented additional information from satellite imagery.

A meteorologist also told us:

Based on the amount of smoke being produced by the Russian fires and at least this one occurrence [on August 3] of smoke being tracked across the eastern Pacific, I think it’s a reasonable assumption that some amount of smoke from Russia has made its way into North America. Unfortunately, cloudiness frequently interferes with the tracking of smoke and low stratus clouds are common across the eastern Pacific. If smoke from Russia is being transported into Canada and is obscured by cloudiness, we cannot verify where the smoke came from once it has arrived there especially with so many fires in Canada also producing copious amounts of smoke.

NOAA map of smoke detected through satellite imagery, Aug. 9, 2010

And, if you are hungry for even more details, check out this very technical PowerPoint presentation about the Russian smoke. Clicking that link will download a copy of the file, possibly in a new window, depending on your browser.

A group of tourist wearing masks to protect themselves from the smog walk in Red square in Moscow, Russia, 09 August 2010. EPA/Yuri Kochetkov

The carbon monoxide (CO) levels in parts of Russia caused by the numerous wildfires have been described as being five to seven times the maximum safe level, but the articles don’t specify the actual CO readings in parts per million. The U.S. National Ambient Air Quality Standards for CO levels in outdoor air are 9 ppm (40,000 micrograms per meter cubed) for 8 hours, and 35 ppm for 1 hour. CO cannot be filtered out by using cheap dust masks, bandannas, or “Hot Shield” masks unfortunately marketed to wildland firefighters.

The effects of CO are listed below.

The smoke and CO is so severe that some are evacuating, including employees of the Canadian embassy.

On Sunday authorities in Moscow opened 120 “anti-smog” centers, air-conditioned rooms where residents can take a break from the record-setting heat and the smoke.

In the United States we have done the same thing at fire camps that were socked in with smoke trapped by inversions. In 1988 (and also other years) when the Logistics sections on fires in northern California set up tents with air filtration that were supposed to provide off-duty firefighters some relief from the smoke. (Was oxygen provided too? Can anyone provide more details about this?)

National Weather Service meteorologists say smoke from Russia has drifted all the way into Canada.

A woman wears a mask in central Moscow to protect herself from smog caused by fires outside the city. Photograph: Mikhail Voskresensky/Reuters

The Russian government has warned residents that the wildfires burning through their country may pose a nuclear threat by releasing radioactive particles contained in trees and plants following the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster.

The government claims that 160,000 people are fighting the numerous fires, but they appear to be losing the battle as additional fires worsen the situation, leaving at least 52 people dead and more than 3,500 homeless as entire villages are consumed in fires.

About 140 flights were delayed on Friday at the Moscow airport when smoke from the fires reduced the visibility at times to as little as 1,100 feet.

The Guardian reports that the Russian government is employing questionable tactics to put the best light on the wildfire situation:

United Russia, the pro-Kremlin party which dominates parliament, has boasted of sending volunteers to help extinguish the fires. But that claim was thrown into doubt yesterday when the party was accused of doctoring a photograph placed on its website.

A sharp-eyed blogger noticed that the picture showing volunteers apparently wrestling with a piece of timber in a smoky wood had been created in 2008 and altered in Photoshop last Saturday. The smoke, he claimed, had been added for effect.

United Russia immediately removed the picture but did not respond to requests for comment.

NOAA, August 5, 2010

This map of smoke from wildfires indicates that it might be difficult to see the Aurora.

How smoky is it where you are?