A tale of Ice and Fire

Wild Fires in Greenland

This article discusses the increasing number of wildfires in Greenland.

The fear is that global warming is reducing the thickness of permafrost and thus increasing the amount of peat exposed and available to burn. Also black carbon released by the burning may cover permanent snow and ice and therefore increase melting by boosting its heat absorption.

In southern Greenland, a fire that could be fueled by degraded permafrost burns 150 kilometers northeast of Sisimiut, the second-largest city in the territory. Officials aren’t sure how the fire started or when it might end. This 8 August image was captured by a European Space Agency satellite in natural colors with highlights from near infrared and shortwave infrared imaging. Credit: ESA/Pierre Markuse, CC BY 2.0