In recent years, summer has become less of a season to look forward to; in fact, it has become more a season to be dreaded due to high temperatures. Not to mention, of course, heavy droughts caused by the heat, which promote dry weather conditions and exacerbate blazing temperatures. Subsequently, a domino effect of all sorts of deadly consequences is generated for us.
There is a more direct cause for these extreme conditions, which can be attributed to the pressure cooker effect of a heat dome. Heat domes are described as huge lids placed over large geographical areas, trapping heat in a high-pressure system. With nowhere to go, the enclosed area heats up far beyond the normal range. The recent heat dome episode ranging July 14 to 18 was reported to develop a large area of high pressure and the hottest period of the year across northern parts of the Rockies and Plains.These heat domes, although naturally occurring, become more frequent by virtue of global warming, with rising temperatures being the key factor.
Consequently, heat domes are amplified, and their durations greatly increase, igniting intensified versions of the effects listed above.. One prominent effect is that they have the unfortunate ability to spur wildfires at a far more rapid frequency than normal conditions.
The recent July Canadian wildfires are a prime example of this, as Canada’s magnificent forests burn in this artificial, scorching heat. This is a recurring problem: Canada is plagued yearly by such deadly conflagrations, with the 2023 wildfires appearing at the forefront as Canada’s worst year yet. This year’s fires, however, are still nothing to laugh at. And where there’s fire, there’s smoke; in Bergen County alone, the PM2.5, particulate matter that has a width of 2.5 micrometers or less, concentrations exceeded a 24-hour average of 35 micrograms per cubic meter in multiple areas on July 16, classifies the air quality as unhealthy for sensitive groups.
In Washington, D.C., the effects were far more disastrous as NASA reports indicated that on July 17, PM2.5 concentrations neared 200 micrograms per cubic meter. At these levels of PM2.5, the air quality would have had extremely damaging effects on all groups. This precarious development results from the very real threat climate change poses to our society. Furthermore, the size of soot and particulate matter allow them to reflect longer wavelengths of light. This, in turn, tints the sky an orange-red hue as if to signify the raging blaze. There is one good thing to come from this, being that temperatures are temporarily reduced due to the smoke blocking out sunlight. We also see this effect when volcanoes erupt, releasing volcanic ash which has a similar temperature-reducing effect. Of course, most people wouldn’t even think about going outside with the haze. While the temporary smoke cover hovers to change the sky in affected areas, communities will consider not if another episode will happen, but when.
