Hundreds huge wildfires have broken all across the Arctic Circle. Areas the Arctic are warming twice as fast as anywhere else on the planet. There are so many fires and they are so big that the smoke them can be seen space. Meteorologists report that the Arctic is having its hottest June ever and is suffering its worst wildfire season record. There are huge blazes covering large areas Greenland, Siberia, Scandinavia and Alaska. In Alaska, there are as many as 400 fires burning out control. In Greenland, melting the vast Greenland ice sheet has started a month earlier than usual. The World Meteorological Organization has said the Arctic fires are "unprecedented".
Scientists say the fires and suffocating smoke could have an effect global warming. Meteorologist Mark Parrington explained what is causing the wildfires. He said: "Temperatures the Arctic have been increasing a much faster rate than the global average, and warmer conditions encourage fires to grow and persist once they have been ignited." Dry ground, more lightning strikes and strong winds have caused the fires to spread very quickly. A lot ice has melted and the flames have set fire to methane-filled earth below the ice. This is releasing huge amounts carbon dioxide the atmosphere. The fires have also caused serious habitat loss and have killed uncountable numbers animals.
