Wildfires are threatening the ozone layer

Wildfires during the summer season in Washington state have become commonplace, especially in Eastern Washington. It was just a few years back that one wildfire came within about 200 yards of my home. (Thank you, firefighters.) For the last several summers, air quality during the summer wildfire season in Eastern Washington has been problematic due to smoke and ash. 

Now we're finding out that the problem of wildfires is not just in Washington state but all across the United States maybe creating even a more serious problem. 

When was the last time you worried about the ozone layer? It's been quite a while for me actually. Now we find out wildfires may be threatening the ozone layer. 

According to earth.com.
“New research has uncovered a paradoxical impact of large wildfires on this protective layer of the atmosphere, throwing a fresh spotlight on the complex interaction between natural events and atmospheric dynamics.” 

It's all about methane gas, considered very destructive as a global warming contributor. Now new research is showing that wildfires contribute an enormous amount of methane. As the wildfires get bigger so does the release of methane gas. 

We have known for quite some time that methane is a byproduct of any wildfire. But up until now, we haven't realized how serious it truly is. New research is being conducted that proves that the amount of methane produced by wildfires is much higher than we ever thought possible. 

So far, our wildfire season in Washington state has been relatively tame, but we're just getting started. Every time I see a weather forecast that says “a 30 percent chance of showers or thunderstorms” I worry, are we going to get lightning strikes up in the mountains or out in the sage brush and get more wildfires?  

Learn how to protect your home from wildfires and be safe.
Protect Your Property from WILDFIRES (fema.gov)
Click the link above to find out more. 

Wildfires threaten the recovery of the ozone layer - Earth.com
Discovery: Massive amounts of methane gas spews from wildfires - Earth.com
World Whale Day: Can whales help mitigate climate change? - Earth.com