Over the last month , millions of acres across the west coast of the United States have been decimated by wildfires , and with no rain in sight , conditions are expected to worsen over the coming weeks .
California and Oregon are the worst affected states , with thousands of residents forced to abandon their homes and , in some areas , the terrible air quality caused by the fumes is so extreme that it has gone beyond the Air Quality Index scale .
Several lightning strikes are thought to have sparked the fires , but high temperatures , dry air , strong winds and dry conditions have caused them to spread uncontrollably throughout the west coast .
Scientists have warned that these are the worst fires the region has seen in 18 years and that climate change is causing wildfires to become increasingly intense and more prevalent .
It is estimated that over 6.7 million acres of land have burned this year , tens of thousands of people have been left homeless and several small towns have been completely destroyed .
The scale of the smoke produced from the wildfires is so large that they not only crossed the United States but were also carried across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe . Smoke from wildfires is not only extremely hazardous to human health but also pump significant amounts of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere .
This year has experienced some of the world ’ s worse wildfires in recorded history , particularly in Australia , the Arctic and Siberia , Indonesia and Brazil . Climate scientists continue to sound the alarm , warning that the severity and frequency of destructive weather events and fires will continue to rise if climate targets are not met .
Incendios sin precedentes causan estragos en los Estados Unidos
Millones de acres de terreno han sido devastados por los fuegos en la costa oeste de los Estados Unidos durante el último mes y sin lluvia a la vista , se teme que las condiciones empeoren en las próximas semanas .
Los estados más afectados son California y Oregón , donde miles de residentes se vieron forzados a abandonar sus hogares . La toxicidad del aire es tan extrema en algunas zonas que ha llegado a sobrepasar la escala el Índice de Calidad del Aire .
Se cree que varios rayos causaron los fuegos , cuyas llamas se extendieron luego sin control por la costa oeste debido a las altas temperaturas y el aire seco .
Los científicos han alertado de que estos son los peores incendios que sufre la zona en 18 años y que el cambio climático está incrementando la prevalencia e intensidad de los fuegos .
Más de 6,7 millones de acres han ardido este año , según las estimaciones , y decenas de miles de personas han perdido su hogar así como varias pequeñas ciudades han sido destruidas en su totalidad .
La cantidad de humo producido por los incendios es tal que no sólo han atravesado los Estados Unidos sino que el viento los llevó por todo el océano Atlántico hasta Europa . El humo procedente de este tipo de fuegos no sólo es enormemente perjudicial para nuestra salud , sino que también emite cantidades ingentes de CO2 a la atmósfera .
Durante el presente año se han registrado algunos de los peores incendios naturales de la historia , particularmente en Australia , el Ártico y Siberia . Los científicos climáticos siguen alertando y avisan de que la severidad y frecuencia de los acontecimientos meteorológicos destructivos así como de los incendios seguirán aumentando si no se cumplen los objetivos climáticos .
‘ STRESSED ’ ORCAS RAMMING BOATS OFF THE COAST OF SPAIN
Scientists are baffled by several recent incidents of killer whales ramming boats off the coast of Northern Spain and in the Strait of Gibraltar .
This unusual behaviour has left several boats severely damaged with some requiring assistance to return to shore and one sailor with minor injuries .
The most recent “ attack ” took place off the coast of Galicia , when a 36-foot yacht was repeatedly struck by an orca . The vessel had to be towed back to land as a result of damage to its steering .
Two other incidents occurred off the coast near Vigo on the same day , with one of the boats losing part of its rudder .
In late July in the Strait of Gibraltar , a pod of nine killer whales rammed the hull of a 46-foot vessel for more than an hour , disabling the autohelm and engi-
OTWO 15 / OCTOBER 2020 15