Wildfire smoke brings forgotten danger to the Arctic: black carbon
Article content
Article content
Commonly known as soot, black carbon is a type of pollution formed by the incomplete combustion of fossil fuels or biomass such as trees. It's a risk to human health, having been linked to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. It's also a potent short-term warming agent. Black carbon absorbs copious heat from the sun and, when it coats a layer of ice or snow, reduces its ability to reflect solar energy back into space.
Article content
Article content
Article content
The choking wildfire smoke that enveloped New York and other cities far to the south two years ago was notable for where else it traveled. Propelled by intense heat high into the atmosphere and carried by fierce winds, it made it to Greenland and beyond.
Article content
How much of the black carbon in that smoke reached the Arctic is a pressing question for climate scientists, who fear the aerosol could become a major contributor of further heating to what's already the fastest-warming place on Earth.
Article content
Article content
Halfway into Canada's 2025 fire season, this year's blazes are likely to end up the second worst in three decades, after the all-time record set in 2023 — and finding answers has gained urgency.
Article content
'The hotter the fire is, the higher it can be lifted,' said Sarah Smith, an atmospheric physicist and Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University who's studying the 2023 wildfires to determine how they, and future fires, may affect the Greenland ice sheet. 'We are still learning just how high these black carbon air masses can be injected into the atmosphere and what their effects are.'
Article content
For a while, levels of black carbon in Greenland seemed to be dropping, not rising. Ice core samples dating back to the 1700s show semi-regular deposits associated with forest fires upwind in North America. In the early 20th century, levels began to rise steadily as demand for heating oil and coal surged in Canada, the US and Western Europe.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBC
3 days ago
- CBC
8 babies born with experimental 3-parent IVF technique
Eight healthy babies were born in Britain with the help of an experimental technique that uses DNA from three people to help mothers avoid passing devastating rare diseases to their children, researchers report. Most DNA is found in the nucleus of our cells, and it's that genetic material — some inherited from mom, some from dad — that makes us who we are. But there's also some DNA outside of the cell's nucleus, in structures called mitochondria. Dangerous mutations there can cause a range of diseases in children that can lead to muscle weakness, seizures, developmental delays, major organ failure and death. Testing during the in vitro fertilization process can usually identify whether these mutations are present. But in rare cases, it's not clear. Researchers have been developing a technique that tries to avoid the problem by using the healthy mitochondria from a donor egg. They reported in 2023 that the first babies had been born using this method, where scientists take genetic material from the mother's egg or embryo, which is then transferred into a donor egg or embryo that has healthy mitochondria but the rest of its key DNA removed. The latest research"marks an important milestone," said Dr. Zev Williams, who directs the Columbia University Fertility Center and was not involved in the work. "Expanding the range of reproductive options … will empower more couples to pursue safe and healthy pregnancies." Using this method means the embryo has DNA from three people — from the mother's egg, the father's sperm and the donor's mitochondria — and it required a 2016 U.K. law change to approve it. It is also allowed in Australia but not in many other countries, including the U.S. and Canada. Experts at Britain's Newcastle University and Monash University in Australia reported in the New England Journal of Medicine Wednesday that they performed the new technique in fertilized embryos from 22 patients, which resulted in eight babies that appear to be free of mitochondrial diseases. One woman is still pregnant. One of the eight babies born had slightly higher than expected levels of abnormal mitochondria, said Robin Lovell-Badge, a stem cell and developmental genetics scientist at the Francis Crick Institute who was not involved in the research. He said it was still not considered a high enough level to cause disease, but should be monitored as the baby develops. Dr. Andy Greenfield, a reproductive health expert at the University of Oxford, called the work "a triumph of scientific innovation," and said the method of exchanging mitochondria would only be used for a small number of women for whom other ways of avoiding passing on genetic diseases, like testing embryos at an early stage, was not effective. Lovell-Badge said the amount of DNA from the donor is insignificant, noting that any resulting child would have no traits from the woman who donated the healthy mitochondria. The genetic material from the donated egg makes up less than 1 per cent of the baby born after this technique. Safety and ethical questions remain "If you had a bone marrow transplant from a donor … you will have much more DNA from another person," he said. In the U.K., every couple seeking a baby born through donated mitochondria must be approved by the country's fertility regulator. As of this month, 35 patients have been authorized to undergo the technique. Critics have previously raised concerns, warning that it's impossible to know the impact these sorts of novel techniques might have on future generations. "Currently, pronuclear transfer is not permitted for clinical use in the U.S., largely due to regulatory restrictions on techniques that result in heritable changes to the embryo," Williams, of Columbia, said in an email. "Whether that will change remains uncertain and will depend on evolving scientific, ethical, and policy discussions." For about a decade, Congress in the U.S. has included provisions in annual funding bills banning the Food and Drug Administration from accepting applications for clinical research involving techniques, "in which a human embryo is intentionally created or modified to include a heritable genetic modification." But in countries where the technique is allowed, advocates say it could provide a promising alternative for some families. Liz Curtis, whose daughter Lily died of a mitochondrial disease in 2006, now works with other families affected by them. She said it was devastating to be told there was no treatment for her eight-month-old baby and that death was inevitable. She said the diagnosis "turned our world upside down, and yet nobody could tell us very much about it, what it was or how it was going to affect Lily." Curtis later founded the Lily Foundation in her daughter's name to raise awareness and support research into the disease, including the latest work done at Newcastle University.
National Observer
5 days ago
- National Observer
Sea ice can be ‘early warning system' for global heating — but the US is halting data sharing
This story was originally published by The Guardian and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration Scientists analysing the cascading impacts of record low levels of Antarctic sea ice fear a loss of critical US government satellite data will make it harder to track the rapid changes taking place at both poles. Researchers around the globe were told last week the US Department of Defence will stop processing and providing the data, used in studies on the state of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice, at the end of this month. Tracking the state of sea ice is crucial for scientists to understand how global heating is affecting the planet. Sea ice reflects the sun's energy back out to space but, as long-term losses have been recorded, more of the planet's ocean is exposed to the sun's energy, causing more heating. The National Snow and Ice Data Center, based at the University of Colorado, maintains a Sea Ice Index used around the world to track in near real-time the extent of sea ice around the globe. In two updates in the past week, the centre said the US government's Department of Defence, which owns the satellites that contain onboard instruments used to track sea ice, would stop 'processing and delivering' the data on 31 July. The US Department of Defense's decision to halt sharing of critical sea ice data "couldn't come at a worse time," according to researchers. Climate scientists have been warning that Trump administration cuts have targeted climate functions across government, and there has been fears the sea ice data could be targeted. The news comes as new research, some of which relied on the data, found that record low amounts of sea ice around Antarctica in recent years had seen more icebergs splintering off the continent's ice shelves in a process scientists warned could push up global sea levels faster than current modelling has predicted. Dr Alex Fraser, a co-author of the research at the Australian Antarctic Program Partnership (AAPP), said NSIDC's sea ice data was 'our number one heart rate monitor' for the state of the planet's ice. 'It's our early warning system and tells us if the patient is about to flatline. We need this data and now [the scientific community] will be forced to put together a record from a different instrument. We won't have that continued context that we have had previously.' NSIDC has said it is working with alternative and higher-resolution instruments from a different satellite, but has warned that data may not be directly comparable with the current instruments. Fraser said: 'We are seeing records now year on year in Antarctica, so from that perspective this could not have come at a worse time.' Dr Walt Meier, a senior scientist at NSIDC, said there were other 'passive microwave instruments' that could keep the long-term record going, but he said differences with older sensors created a 'a challenge to make the long-term record consistent and there will be some degradation in the consistency of the long-term record.' 'I think we will end up with a robust and quality record that users can have confidence in,' Meier said, but said this would add to uncertainty to estimates of trends. Asked why the government was stopping the data, he said because 'everything is old and resources are limited, my guess is that it is not worth the time and effort to upgrade the systems for such old sensors, which may fail at any time.' The research, published in the journal PNAS Nexus, found a link between increasing numbers of icebergs calving from floating ice shelves and the loss of sea ice. While the loss of sea ice does not directly raise sea levels, the research said it exposed more ice shelves to wave action, causing them to break apart and release icebergs faster. Glaciologist Dr Sue Cook, also from AAPP, said 'like a cork in a bottle' those shelves help to slow down the advance of land-based ice that does raise sea levels if it breaks off into the ocean. She said the higher rates of iceberg calving seen in Antarctica were not accounted for in calculations of how quickly the ice sheet might break apart and contribute global sea levels. 'If we shift to this state where summer sea ice is very low but we continue using models based on previous periods, then we will definitely underestimate how quickly Antarctica will contribute to sea level rise,' she said. The study also outlined other knock-on effects from the record low sea ice levels in the Antarctic, including the loss of more seals and penguins if trends continued. As many as 7,000 emperor penguin chicks died in late 2022 after the early break-up of the stable ice they used for shelter while they grow their waterproof plumage. A US Navy spokesperson confirmed the data processing from its defence meteorological satellite program (DMSP) would stop on 31 July 'in accordance with Department of Defense policy.' DMSP is a joint program owned by the US Space Force, the spokesperson said, and was scheduled for discontinuation in September 2026. 'The Navy is discontinuing contributions to DMSP given the program no longer meets our information technology modernization requirements.'
Cision Canada
6 days ago
- Cision Canada
Canada and the Northwest Territories Partner on Innovative, AI-Based Core Scanning Initiative to Support Critical Minerals Development
CHARLOTTETOWN, PEI, July 14, 2025 /CNW/ - The Government of Canada and the Government of the Northwest Territories are working together to advance a new geoscience research initiative that leverages artificial intelligence (AI), digital scanning technologies and historic drill cores to unlock the North's mineral potential and help solidify Canada's position as a global leader in resource development and critical minerals. As part of this initiative, Canada and the Northwest Territories will pilot a project to scan, digitize and analyze existing drill cores from the Northwest Territories Geological Survey's collection using cutting-edge techniques to highlight new areas of high critical-mineral potential. These core scans and their associated data will be made available through a centralized digital platform, helping to reduce exploration risk, re-evaluate existing discoveries and enable new mineral development opportunities across the North. This program will be centred on drill cores from the Slave Geological Province in the Northwest Territories, one of Canada's most promising regions for mineral exploration and critical mineral development. This vast, underexplored area is home to past-producing mines and significant greenfield potential, particularly for critical minerals such as lithium, copper, cobalt and rare earth elements. By applying AI-driven analysis to historical core samples, both governments aim to spur new investment by giving industry the tools it needs to unlock untapped mineral value — without further disturbing the land. This work will form the foundation for a future Canadian Digital Core Library and reflects both governments' shared commitment to breaking down silos and building one Canadian economy. It also supports national priorities around clean growth, Indigenous partnership, Arctic sovereignty and securing the supply chains that power Canada's transition to a net-zero future. Quotes "Through this groundbreaking collaboration between the Government of Canada and the Northwest Territories, we are harnessing advanced technology to revolutionize how we understand and manage our mineral resources. By bringing together federal and territorial expertise and cutting–edge artificial intelligence, we are laying the foundation for a smarter, more-sustainable resource future that catalyzes investment into Canadian mining." The Honourable Tim Hodgson Minister of Energy and Natural Resources " This initiative puts the Northwest Territories at the forefront of mineral innovation in Canada. By modernizing how we analyze and share geological data, we're opening the door to new exploration, new partnerships and new economic opportunities — all while maintaining our commitment to Indigenous leadership and environmental stewardship." The Honourable Caitlin Cleveland Northwest Territories Minister of Industry, Tourism and Investment "Digitizing existing core samples to reduce exploration risk is a strategic use of technology to help advance the future mineral resource opportunities of the Northwest Territories. Realizing the mineral potential of the Northwest Territories depends on having the right infrastructure; that includes clean energy and a capacity to move goods across the vast distances of the Territory. That's why we're advancing the Mackenzie Valley Highway and the Arctic Security Corridor. These items of foundational infrastructure will allow us to capitalize on mineral wealth now and create lasting opportunities for Northerners." The Honourable Caroline Wawzonek Northwest Territories Minister of Infrastructure, Energy and Supply Chains Quick Facts The initiative supports development of a Canadian Digital Core Library to digitize and share drill core samples from across the country. The Slave Geological Province is one of Canada's most promising regions for critical minerals, with past-producing mines and vast areas of underexplored geology. Making geoscience data more accessible can accelerate exploration, reduce environmental impacts and attract private investment — particularly in high-cost, high-reward northern regions. The initiative complements national and territorial investments in strategic infrastructure and clean energy, including the proposed Arctic Security Corridor and Taltson Hydro Expansion Project, which aim to support sustainable, year-round resource development and connect northern mineral resources to global markets. The project contributes to Canada's Critical Minerals Strategy and aligns with priorities around economic development, Arctic security, Indigenous partnership and nation-building infrastructure. Follow Natural Resources Canada on LinkedIn. SOURCE Natural Resources Canada
