Latest news with #CopernicusAtmosphereMonitoringService
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Health
- RTÉ News
More people presenting with hay fever due to high pollen levels
A Clare-based GP has said "there's been a big change" in people attending the medical practice for hay fever. Her remarks come after the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service reported that pollen levels were so extreme in parts of Europe during Spring, that even people not known to suffer allergies felt the effects of hay fever. Dr Yvonne Williams said patients, who have never had hay fever before, are attending the practice, saying "the normal medicines, the antihistamines, they get over the counter just aren't working for them this year". Speaking on RTÉ's Today with Claire Byrne, she added that others are wondering "why their head cold hasn't gotten better" or why it is "going on much longer than a cold and wondering what's wrong with them, they've never had hay fever before". She said those affected by allergies can try avoidance measures such as washing pollen from hair at night and keeping doors and windows closed. She said hay fever sufferers can also try "simple things" like placing Vaseline around the nose or wearing wrap around sunglasses to keep pollen out the eyes. Medicines are also available, Dr Williams said, including antihistamines, eye drops and nose sprays. But she warned some antihistamines can "make people sleepy and you have to be careful if you're driving with those". "Your pharmacy will be a great point of contact and then your GP, if you can't control it with over-the-counter medication because it can affect your sleep, it can make you tired - that has implications," she said. "For the asthmatics, that drip of hay fever and the constant sniffle - can trigger off quite bad flares of asthma and really make your asthma go out of control," she added. Scientists say that climate change is altering the production and distribution of pollen and spores, as more and more people have reported developing allergy symptoms. As winter frost thaws earlier and spring weather gets warmer, plants and trees flower earlier, extending the pollen season and misery for allergy sufferers. Around a quarter of adults in Europe suffer from airborne allergies, including severe asthma, while the proportion among children is 30 to 40%. That figure is expected to rise to half of Europeans by 2050, according to the World Health Organization. Assistant Professor at Dublin City University in the School of Chemical Sciences said "basically anyone" can have the symptoms of hay fever. "If the pollen levels get high enough, people who never have suffer from them will actually start exhibiting symptoms," Dr David O'Connor said. Dr O'Connor said pollen season starts in January and runs until September, but he said "we've noticed in our work, it's like getting longer - the start date has been pushed into December and the end date is actually heading towards October". "Also, we see increasing concentrations of the pollen as well and actually the amount of allergen in the pollen is also increasing," he added. Speaking on the same programme, he noted a pollen forecast is available for people to access on the Met Éireann website, allowing people to take mitigating measures ahead of high pollen levels. "Just kind of like your weather forecast, if you know it's gonna be raining tomorrow, you might bring a coat or an umbrella with you, if you know it's gonna be a high pollen concentration day tomorrow, you can take your antihistamine and wear your mask," he said. Dr O'Connor warned hay fever can be dangerous for those with asthma, explaining for such individuals "if they breathe in high concentrations of pollen it can actually give them an asthma attack. "That's where it goes from a well-being problem to actually a life or death problem," he added.
The Sun
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Sun
Spring pollen hit ‘extreme' levels in Europe: EU monitor
PARIS: Pollen levels were so extreme in parts of Europe during spring that even people not known to suffer allergies felt the effects of hay fever, new data showed on Thursday. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) observed a seasonal rise in grass and olive pollen release and transport across southern Europe and 'extreme levels' of birch pollen in northeastern regions. Finland in particular experienced 'extreme daily means of birch pollen' in May 'that led to symptoms even among individuals without known allergies', the EU agency said in its latest air quality update. Scientists say that climate change is altering the production and distribution of pollen and spores, as more and more people have reported developing allergy symptoms. As winter frost thaws earlier and spring weather gets warmer, plants and trees flower earlier, extending the pollen season and misery for allergy sufferers. Around a quarter of adults in Europe suffer from airborne allergies, including severe asthma, while the proportion among children is 30 to 40 percent. That figure is expected to rise to half of Europeans by 2050, according to the World Health Organization. CAMS director Laurence Rouil said bouts of extremely high pollen levels were not unusual in spring but noted the particular 'severity and extent' of this year's episode. Air pollution can also increase people's sensitivity to allergens, while invasive species are spreading into new regions and causing fresh waves of allergies. Between March and May, air quality across Europe was also affected by wildfires. April fire emissions in the UK were the second highest since 2003, while the Netherlands recorded unprecedented wildfire emissions levels in this period of the year, CAMS said. Further afield, large wildfires in eastern Russia sent 'significant' smoke into China and Japan while plumes from major blazes in Canada were observed over Europe in late May, it added. – AFP
Irish Post
06-06-2025
- Climate
- Irish Post
Canadian wildfire smoke seen in Ireland and across Northern Europe
SMOKE from wildfires burning in central Canada has drifted thousands of miles across the Atlantic, arriving in Ireland and other parts of northwestern Europe, according to European climate researchers. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), an environmental agency under the European Union's Earth observation programme, has been tracking the movement of wildfire smoke since the start of May. Using satellite data, CAMS confirmed that a large plume originating from the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Ontario reached Ireland on Sunday, June 1. Additional plumes are expected to spread further into Europe later this week. 'Wildfires are a frequent occurrence in boreal forests from spring through summer,' said Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at CAMS. 'But the intensity of fires we've seen in Canada this year, particularly in central regions, is extraordinary.' CAMS analysis shows that while the smoke has visibly affected the sky, producing hazy skies and vibrant sunsets, the smoke is travelling at high altitudes, meaning they won't have a major effect on air quality in Europe. However, elsewhere the fires have already caused a lot of damage. More than 25,000 people in Canada have been forced to evacuate, prompting officials in both Saskatchewan and Manitoba to declare month-long states of emergency. U.S. states near the Canadian border have also experienced low air quality as the smoke drifts south. The fires are part of what experts warn could become an intense wildfire season in Canada, exacerbated by ongoing drought, that's also affecting northern Europe. Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service has facilities across all of Europe (Photo by CAMS) Similar wildfires are happening across Russia's Far Eastern Federal District, in the regions of Buryatia and Zabaykalsky Krai near the borders with China and Mongolia. According to CAMS, carbon emissions from fires in that area have reached their highest levels for this time of year since 2018. Smoke from those Russian blazes has been detected as far away as northeastern China, northern Japan and even the Arctic. While current forecasts suggest only minor health risks from the smoke in Europe, Parrington claimed that the increasing reach of these wildfires add to growing concerns about the long-term effects of climate change and global air quality. Going into further detail Parrington said, "The fact that we can notice the impacts of the smoke in European skies is a reflection of the devastation of wildfires which have been burning in Canada, indicating the increased number of fires, intensity, and duration. A lot of smoke has to be generated in order for it to travel so far and be noticeable and shows how people on either side of the Atlantic are connected via the atmosphere." As we come up to the drier summer months, monitoring agencies like CAMS will continue to track these plumes across Ireland and northern Europe. See More: CAMS, Canada, Mark Parrington, Wilfire
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Canadian wildfire smoke reaches Europe after near 7,000-km journey
While Canadian fire crews across several provinces continue to battle blazes that have prompted states of emergency and forced people from their homes, smoke from the wildfires have been travelling a fair distance over the past few weeks, especially in recent days. Over the past few days, smoke has travelled nearly 7,000 kilometres––more than half of the globe in distance. And that won't be the end of it, either, as additional smoke is expected to reach Europe in the coming days as strong winds force the plume farther east into the continent. DON'T MISS: According to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), the first high-altitude smoke plume entered the Mediterranean region on May 18-19, with reports of it reaching Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. Following that, a much larger quantity of wildfire smoke plume travelled across the Atlantic during the last week of May, hitting northwestern parts of Europe on Sunday, June 1. This #TimelapseTuesday, we're taking a look at this imagery from @NOAA's #GOESEast 🛰️ as thick #smoke from Canadian #wildfires has been drifting across the eastern U.S. from May 31 to June 2, 2025. #AirQuality Alerts cover much of the Upper Midwest today. Latest:… — NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) June 3, 2025 The issue of wildfire smoke will remain a problem for Eastern Canada, as well, with recent, explosive fire behaviour in Saskatchewan and Manitoba and strong winds expected to push more of it eastward, eventually hitting Europe in the next week or so. Major wildfires continue throughout portions of Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and northern British Columbia. Provincial states of emergency have been issued for Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where multiple communities remain under evacuation orders. Mark Parrington, senior scientist with CAMS, said wildfires are a frequent occurrence in boreal forests from spring and through the summer months. June 1-3, 2025 satellite imagery. (European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT)) Up to the start of June, CAMS' data showed that parts of Canada have experienced a "very intense few weeks" in terms of wildfire emissions. "This data, and the fact that we are able to observe the smoke in Europe, is a reflection of the scale of the fires and impacts they have been having in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. In CAMS, we monitor events such as these in order to understand how they affect the atmosphere and air quality regionally and globally," said Parrington, in a news release. The good news is that the air quality in Europe isn't expected to be affected, unlike parts of Canada where alerts are in place to advise of health risks, since it will remain well above the surface. But folks can expect hazy skies alongside red sunrises and sunsets. Click here to view the video With files from Rachel Modestino, a meteorologist at The Weather Network. Header image courtesy of NOAA
CTV News
04-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Why has the sun been red in Waterloo Region lately?
People in the Waterloo Region area may have noticed the sun looked bright red as it hung low in the sky this week. While the phenomenon offers a fantastic opportunity for photos, the truth is the rouge tinge stems from the wildfires out west. Blood red sunrises and sunsets are often due to wildfire smoke that has travelled thousands of kilometers. The colour can last for days, depending on the size of the fires. Smoke from Manitoba and Saskatchewan has been billowing across the country, and is even causing concerns in Europe. The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said smoke it making its way across the ocean. 'Several satellites have observed long-range transport across the Atlantic, with smoke reaching as far as Europe. An initial plume at high altitude crossed the Mediterranean region on 18-19 May with reports of the smoke reaching Greece and the Eastern Mediterranean. A second, much larger, smoke plume crossed the Atlantic during the last week of May, reaching northwestern parts of Europe on 1 June. Additional plumes are expected to reach the continent in the upcoming days,' the service said in a news release on Tuesday. Wildfires are also blazing in parts of northwestern Ontario, contributing to the spectacle in Waterloo Region. FireSmoke Canada, a service that monitors wildfire and smoke, shows the smoke may continue to plague the Greater Toronto Area through to Thursday.
