Smoke from the fires in Australia reached Brazil on Tuesday, a private meteorological company called MetSul has confirmed.
The meteorological company published a tweet on Tuesday morning confirming that subtle signs of smoke from the fires in Australia had been spotted in the atmosphere over Porto Alegre, the capital of the State of Rio Grande do Sul.
TEMPO | Tempo abriu em Porto Alegre, mas presença de fumaça da Austrália no céu é quase imperceptível, a despeito do satélite mostrar que há fumaça na atmosfera sobre a Grande Porto Alegre. Parte da pluma que está aqui tem menor densidade. No pôr do sol, talvez, se veja melhor. pic.twitter.com/6zGuDj9Pde
— MetSul.com (@metsul) January 7, 2020
On Wednesday morning, the meteorological company tweeted again, confirming that a satellite image showed the presence of smoke from the fires in Australia covering an extensive area in South America, including parts of Argentina, Uraguay and Rio Grande do Sul and Cone Sul in Brazil.
The company reiterated, however, that the smoke does not provide any health risks and that its only effect, for the time being, is on the colour of the sky.
CLIMA | Em https://t.co/cCRIo33qLf publicamos um material ampliado sobre a chegada da fumaça da Austrália à América do Sul nesta semana. https://t.co/MOD634Cuwe
— MetSul.com (@metsul) January 8, 2020
Previously, the Chile Meteorological Service confirmed in a tweet on Monday that smoke from the Australian bushfires had been transported across the Pacific Ocean to Chile and Argentina.
Burning since September, the fires in Australia have devastated the island, leaving millions of animals dead or burned and taking the lives of 24 people.
According to satellite imagery by Copernicus Management Emergency Services, nearly one-third of Kangaroo Island, a popular tourist destination attracting up to 14,000 visitors every year, has burned.
Evie McCullough
The Brussels Times
