Wildfires are known for striking in hot, dry regions of the planet,
but a huge fire is currently raging across the icy, cold surface of
Greenland, one of the most northernmost countries in the world.
It's not clear what started the fire, but it seems to be made up of multiple blazes happening in the tundra
on the coast of the country. Just before the fires started, relatively
high temperatures of 12 degrees Celsius (53 degrees Fahrenheit) were
recorded in the area.
Experts think climate change could be to blame – that dead plant
matter usually encased in permafrost is catching fire as the frost melts
due to warming temperatures. Scientists have spotted much more wildfire
activity in Greenland so far during 2017 than in any other previous
year on record.
"There are fires in Greenland, but it's not an African Savannah,"
Stef Lhermitte, from the Delft University of Technology in the
Netherlands, told Maddie Stone at Gizmodo.
"As far as I can see, the current fire is the biggest one recorded by
satellites since 2000. I think it's the biggest on record."
http://www.sciencealert.com/a-huge-wildfire-is-ripping-through-the-icy-wilderness-of-greenland
No comments:
Post a Comment