Wildfires hit air quality and atmospheric conditions hard, especially in certain regions. Emissions from fires usually make up a small part of the country’s total carbon dioxide output, but extreme events can send those emissions soaring.

In recent years, wildfires have grown more frequent and intense. Climate change seems to be a big driver here, though it’s tough to pin down all the causes sometimes.

In 2025, huge areas took a beating from fires, making that year one of the worst for burned land in the last twenty years. These disasters tore through forests and farmlands, hit communities, and cranked up air pollution levels.

Across Europe, this time saw record-breaking wildfire damage. It’s not just a local headache—this is a regional problem now.

Key Takeways

• Wildfires have sharply increased carbon emissions during extreme events.
• The extent of burned land in 2025 placed it among the worst wildfire years recently.
• Rising wildfire damage reflects growing climate-related risks to air quality and ecosystems.

Effects of Forest Fires on the Atmosphere

Forest fires pump out a mix of pollutants that mess with air quality. The smoke carries tiny particles and gases, drifting for miles and causing health problems for people both close by and far away.

Black carbon and carbon monoxide are two big offenders from forest fires. Black carbon is made up of super-fine particles—less than 2.5 micrometres—so they can get deep into your lungs and even your bloodstream.

This stuff can make lung and heart conditions worse. Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas, and too much of it is dangerous for your health.

Forest fires also release a ton of carbon dioxide (CO2). As a greenhouse gas, CO2 traps heat in the atmosphere, bouncing warmth back to Earth and messing with the planet’s energy balance.

That’s how it pushes up global temperatures and fuels climate change. The kicker? CO2 hangs around for more than a hundred years, so its effects really linger.

When forest fires get big—what people call megafires—they can blast smoke way up into the atmosphere. Sometimes, smoke reaches the stratosphere, more than 10 kilometres above ground.

In the stratosphere, those smoke particles can stick around for months, sometimes even a year. That can mess with the ozone layer, which usually shields us from nasty ultraviolet rays.

Fires also let loose other gases like methane and nitrogen oxides. These help create ozone near the ground, which isn’t good news for people or plants.

Fine particles and gases from fires drag down air quality, making things especially rough for kids, older folks, and anyone with health issues.

The bigger the fire, the more pollutants get dumped into the air. When fires are widespread, their emissions can make up a hefty chunk of a country’s greenhouse gas output.

This doesn’t just affect local air—it can mess with climate patterns on a larger scale.

Emissions from Forest Fires in Greece

Forest fires in Greece add to the country’s yearly carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, though not as much as industries or cars. Usually, these fires account for less than 5% of the national CO2 total each year.

But when a bad fire season hits, emissions from wildfires can spike, sometimes making fires a major chunk of the country’s carbon footprint.

Between 2006 and 2025, big fires led to hefty CO2 releases. In 2007, for example, fires pumped out about 1.73 million tonnes—around 15% of Greece’s total CO2 emissions that year.

2021 and 2023 were rough too, with fire-related emissions hitting nearly 10 million and 8.4 million tonnes, or 17% and 16% of the national total. These spikes show how much wildfires can shake up the numbers, even if just for a while.

Relationship Between Burnt Area and Emissions

The more land a fire burns, the more CO2 it releases. It’s a pretty direct link—bigger burned areas mean more emissions, since there’s more fuel to burn.

Trees, bushes, and all that organic stuff go up in smoke, so the scale of the fire really matters.

Still, some years break the pattern. Sometimes, fires release a lot of CO2 even if they don’t burn massive areas—intense fires or certain types of vegetation can make a smaller fire much dirtier, emissions-wise.

Notable Years for Fire Emissions

• 2007: Widespread forest fires led to the highest emissions in recent memory.
• 2021: Brutal fires, especially in Evia and elsewhere, caused record CO2 emissions.
• 2023: Similar story—huge emissions thanks to extensive forest damage.

Comparison with Human Activities

Industry, transportation, and manufacturing pump out more CO2 than wildfires most years. But in especially bad fire years, emissions from burning forests can creep up to 15% or more of the total from human activities.

This kind of swing makes it clear how much fire seasons can shake up Greece’s carbon numbers.

Summary of Key Points

• Forest fires usually make up a small slice of Greece’s yearly CO2 emissions.
• Extreme fire years can push those numbers way up, at least temporarily.
• The size of the burnt area matters, but fire intensity and what’s burning also play a big part.
• 2007, 2021, and 2023 really stand out for massive emissions caused by major fires.

Satellite and Ground-Based Remote Sensing for Fire Monitoring in Greece

Greece depends a lot on high-tech satellite and ground-based remote sensing to keep tabs on forest fires. These tools track smoke and fire spread, helping with both environmental checks and public safety.

One big system in the Aegean uses specialized LIDAR tech. It measures how smoke particles move up through the air, giving details on particle size, shape, and type.

This info is gold for figuring out air quality and possible health effects. Authorities use it to see how smoke plumes travel and change, which helps them plan fire responses.

Satellites play a huge role in spotting fires early and mapping out the damage. Modern instruments snap high-res pics of smoke and burned land, giving real-time updates.

During the June 2025 fire in Chios, satellites caught a massive smoke column stretching across the Aegean and even reaching Crete. Wind patterns, especially strong northern winds, carried smoke and pollutants hundreds of kilometres from where the fire started.

Tools and Techniques Used

These tools work best together. Ground-based LIDAR gives precise details on the particles and air quality near fires, while satellites offer a broad, continuous view of where fires are and where the smoke’s headed.

Benefits of Integrated Remote Sensing

• Early Detection: Spotting new fires quickly.
• Accurate Mapping: Showing exactly where fires have burned.
• Air Quality Monitoring: Gauging health risks from smoke.
• Support for Decision Making: Giving fire managers and civil protection teams timely data.
• Environmental Impact Assessment: Checking damage to ecosystems and habitats.

By blending satellite data with ground measurements, emergency services and policymakers can better guess how fires will behave. They can move resources faster and take action to protect people and nature.

Early Warning Service for Smoke from Forest Fires

An early warning system for smoke from forest fires is gearing up for a 2026 launch. The idea is to give people timely, reliable info about where smoke’s headed and what it might mean for your health.

It taps into a mix of advanced tech and data from all over the place to spot and predict how smoke spreads. The system leans a lot on the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), which is pretty much the go-to for air pollution stats and particle levels—absolutely essential for tracking wildfire smoke.

Satellite images from the Meteosat Second Generation (MSG), run by EUMETSAT, add another layer. These satellites snap real-time pics that highlight fire intensity and show exactly where smoke plumes drift.

Another big piece of the puzzle is the FLEXPART dispersion model. FLEXPART simulates how smoke particles move through the air, factoring in weather and terrain.

So, with this model, you can get a pretty good guess about where smoke clouds will end up in the next few hours or days. That’s a huge help for warning people before things get bad.

The system’s built to help both public health officials and everyday folks. Early alerts can shape emergency responses and give vulnerable groups—kids, seniors, people with asthma—a heads-up to take cover or stay inside.

When hazardous smoke levels are on the way, the service plans to notify local authorities and individuals as quickly as possible.

Key features of the service include:

• Real-time monitoring: Keeps an eye on smoke concentration using both satellite and ground data.
• Forecasting: Looks ahead by several days to predict where smoke might travel next.
• Health impact information: Shares details about pollutants that matter for your lungs and heart.
• Rapid alerts: Sends out notifications within minutes if dangerous smoke pops up.

Source: NeaKriti

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