This year, South African forests could face fires which will be twice as fierce as the usual ones, indicates a field experiment, which was supported by the National Aeronautical and Space Administration ( nasa ). During the experiment, thickness of the smoke plumes were measured, movements of large plumes were mapped and the affect of smoke and other fine particles on clouds was investigated. The data will be used to assess the impact of the fires on the global climate and on the region's air quality and ecosystems. The heavy rains in the first half of this year have spurred the growth of extra plant biomass, which will result in the fierce fires.
In Africa, fire is considered less of a disaster and more of a natural and necessary part of healthy ecosystem functioning. The region is subjected to some of the highest levels of biomass burning in the world, according to nasa researchers. The heaviest burning occurs in the moist subtropical belt that includes Angola, the southern Congo, Zambia, northern Mozambique, and southern Tanzania.
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