"Dinosaur = Asteroid, What About Humans?"... Australian Mega-Fires Accelerated Global Warming [Reading Science]

UK Exeter University Research Team "Global Lower Stratosphere Temperature Rises 0.7°C, Ozone Layer Holes Detected"
Largest Scale Since 1991 Philippines Pinatubo Volcano Eruption

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] About 65 million years ago, a massive asteroid with a diameter of 10 km that struck the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico caused the extinction of dinosaurs, which were the dominant species on Earth at the time. This was because it triggered massive fires, volcanic eruptions due to crustal shifts, and dust emissions, which accelerated global warming. Recently, instead of asteroid impacts, humanity has taken on that role by promoting global warming through various activities. A study has revealed that the large-scale wildfires that occurred over a long period in Australia from 2019 to 2020 had a significant adverse effect on global warming, including creating a large hole in the ozone layer.

According to the international academic journal Nature on the 5th, a research team from the University of Exeter in the UK published a paper on this topic in Scientific Reports on the 25th of last month.

In Australia, unprecedentedly intense wildfires occurred due to severe drought from 2019 to 2020. These fires burned more than 24 million hectares, which is 2.4 times the area of South Korea. Thirty-three people died directly from the fires, and about 450 people died indirectly from smoke inhalation and other causes. The smoke and hot air caused the temperature in the lower stratosphere to rise by up to about 3 degrees Celsius. This resulted in an overall increase of 0.7 degrees Celsius in the lower stratosphere globally. It was the largest increase since the 1991 eruption of the Mount Pinatubo volcano in the Philippines. This phenomenon lasted for as long as four months.

A member of the research team said, "The impact was similar in scale to a moderate volcanic eruption," and added, "We confirmed that the scale of the wildfires at that time was truly astonishing."

The stratosphere is located approximately 10 to 50 km above the Earth's surface. Under normal circumstances, smoke from fires does not reach this altitude. However, the Australian wildfires created unusually strong updrafts that caused smoke to rise to altitudes as high as 35 km. During this process, black carbon?carbon emitted in the form of soot and other solid particles when fossil fuels undergo incomplete combustion?spread extensively into the stratosphere. These substances subsequently absorbed sunlight, contributing to temperature increases.

The research team also confirmed that the smoke and ozone generated by the Australian wildfires enlarged the hole in the Antarctic ozone layer. The team stated, "One year before the wildfires, the hole in the Antarctic ozone layer was small, but in 2020, a very deep hole was discovered, which was somewhat surprising," and added, "This phenomenon persisted for five months."