ブラジル森林火災の煙、主要都市や隣国にも

【リオデジャネイロＡＦＰ＝時事】アマゾン熱帯雨林やブラジル各地で発生した森林火災に伴う煙が９日、サンパウロやリオデジャネイロなど主要都市を覆ったほか、隣国にも拡散した。（写真は森林火災に伴う煙に覆われたブラジル・サンパウロ市街）
　国立宇宙研究所（ＩＮＰＥ）の研究者、カルラ・ロンゴ氏は、衛星画像では国土の６０％が煙の影響下にあることが示されていると説明。「近隣諸国や大西洋も含めれば、影響下にある地域は８日時点で約１０００万平方キロに達した」と語った。
　世界の大気汚染を監視するウェブサイト「ＩＱエア」によると、中南米最大の都市サンパウロでは、微小粒子状物質（ＰＭ２．５）濃度が１立方メートル当たり６９マイクログラムと、世界保健機関（ＷＨＯ）が設定している許容限度のほぼ１４倍に達した。
　アルゼンチン、ウルグアイ両国の当局は、９日時点でブラジルの火災に伴う煙が自国の一部に影響を及ぼしていると明らかにした。
　米海洋大気局（ＮＯＡＡ）の衛星画像は、９日にアンデス山脈沿いに南に流れる灰色の厚い煙の層を捉えている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2024/09/10-17:47）

Smoke from intense wildfires in the Amazon rainforest and other parts of Brazil was choking major cities, like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on Monday, and wafting into neighboring countries.
Karla Longo, a researcher at the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), said that satellite images showed that 60 percent of Latin America's largest country had been affected by smoke.
If we consider the areas affected in neighboring countries and in the Atlantic Ocean, the area affected on Sunday was around ten million km2 (3.8 million square miles), she added.
Authorities in Argentina and Uruguay reported smoke from Brazil's fires impacting parts of their countries on Monday.
Sao Paulo, the biggest city in Latin America, on Monday topped the ranking of the world's most polluted major cities, according to the air quality monitoring company IQAir.
The rate of fine particles in the air -- a measure of air quality -- reached 69 micrograms per cubic meter, almost 14 times higher than the limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Residents of seaside city Rio de Janeiro were grappling with fine particle rates at five times the recommended limit.
Authorities blame human action for most of the recent fires in the country, which are often linked to agricultural activity.
The situation has been aggravated by the country's worst drought in seven decades, which experts attribute to climate change.
Satellite images from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed a thick cloud of gray smoke along the Andes mountain range towards the south of the continent on Monday.
This is due to the wind that channels the smoke towards the south, meteorologist Estael Sias told AFP.
According to data from INPE, the number of fires in the Amazon since the beginning of the year has almost doubled compared to the same period in 2023.
Other regions of Brazil have been battling terrible wildfires in recent days.
The vast Chapada dos Veadeiros National Park, known for its numerous dramatic waterfalls some 250km outside the capital Brasilia, has lost some 10,000 hectares of vegetation to flames in recent days.
Sias said the situation is not expected to improve without regular rainfall, which is not likely before October or November.