Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · 20d

The Gaurdian is really on a wildfire smoke kick, and I'm here for it. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Wildfire smoke will kill nearly 1.4m each year by end of century if emissions not curbed – study

A separate research found that at the current rate of global heating, more than 70,000 people will die in the US by 2050

www.theguardian.com

2 4

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · 21d

Delighted that this work continues to find new audiences, and (although purely coincidental) feels very appropriate coming out on the last day of my last fire season deployment. Thank you for hosting me, and for the work of your wonderful editorial team @envhistnow.bsky.social !

Environmental History Now @envhistnow.bsky.social · 21d

Today to celebrate anniversary week, we're thrilled to share a crosspost with our friends at @nichecanada.bsky.social: @micaamy.bsky.social's incredible comic for fire season #envhist #envhum
envhistnow.com/2025/09/17/l...

Living with Smoke: A Comic for the Fire Season

This essay was originally published in June 2024 in NiCHE: Network in Canadian History & Environment. Each year, British Columbia’s (BC) wildfire seasons force us to reckon with two stories abo…

envhistnow.com

1 1 5

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · 24d

Sentinel 2 images from the confluence of the Mackenzie and the Liard. Left: Some serious fire behaviour from sept 9. Right: Autumn colours on the boreal from Sept 10 -- and an orange retardant line from a small lake (centre of the image).

4

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · 24d

Pine...uh....finds a way

1 2 13

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · 26d

The impacts of wildfire smoke (and climate change generally) can be amorphous and hard to trace, but here the Guardian has accomplished a story that pins them to the page. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Smoke from Canada’s wildfires killed nine-year-old Carter Vigh – and 82,000 others around the world

Toxic particles spewed by 2023’s wildfires were even responsible for 22,000 early deaths in Europe, researchers say

www.theguardian.com

2

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · 29d

I can't take my eyes off these fires in the west of the Cariboo region. Its the summer that won't end out there, despite COLD overnight temperatures and shortening days. Look at this one chugging through a cutblock -- open flame visible from satellite (sept 7).

1 3

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Sep 3

I haven't had much cause to bust out my corsi-rosenthal box yet this summer, but today its making short work of the 160 AQI outside (currently 15 in my office).

1

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Sep 3

definitely not, since its in northern BC, Canada.

1 1

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Sep 3

The thing that always blows my mind with the satellite imagery is that we can't even see the head of the fire, since its usually concealed by smoke. Copernicus' false colour (urban) shows that, as impressive as the previous image may be, the head of the fire is burning even hotter and faster.

1

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Sep 3

Sentinel 2 captured some truly unhinged fire behaviour yesterday. When you can see an organized flame front from space, its safe to say that our fire behaviour is "aggressive."

2 3 12

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Sep 2

Also from August 30 -- Sentinel captured the plume coming up from SS104 burning near Fort Provenance, NWT, as it punched up into the atmosphere.

1 3

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Sep 2

Watching smoke from space is one thing -- watching fire is another. This is a capture from Aug 30, and is of the fire burning north of Tsacha Lake in BC. Flames are visible from Sentinel's passover -- you can see them burning in the patch of green in the top left.

2

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Aug 29

A recovering academic moment of realization today: I'm developing a new course for my organization and not only am I getting paid to write the content but I have access to a team of 3 subject matter experts and am working directly with an adult learning professional. Academia, take notes.

5

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Aug 27

Yes, I did post this same picture a few minutes ago with the wrong ID 🫠

2

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Aug 27

ditnikkwun / ᑔᐪᘆᐟᐠᗒᐣ / Castilleja miniata

1 1 6

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Aug 19

Wildfire smoke is more deadly than other sources of PM 2.5. I originally read about this study in the Guardian today, but here's the original paper.
www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...

Quantifying the short-term mortality effects of wildfire smoke in Europe: a multicountry epidemiological study in 654 contiguous regions

Associations with all-cause and cause-specific mortality were larger for fire-related compared with non-fire-related PM2·5. Assuming wildfire PM2·5 has the same effect as total PM2·5 substantially und...

www.thelancet.com

1 1

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Aug 15

Orange sun and ash falling on Vancouver Island last night was a disorienting experience.

4

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Aug 12

10 days later

1

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Aug 1

Should be taking the day off work, but then I thought: what if I could see the Wesley Ridge fire from space? Sentinel imagery from yesterday (Jul 31)

1 2

Reposted by Mica Jorgenson

NiCHE Canada @nichecanada.bsky.social · Aug 1

You can read about the background behind this article and the research that led to it in @micaamy.bsky.social and John's post on our site, "Writing Health and History During a Global Pandemic" - niche-canada.org/2021/05/10/w...

#envhist #histmed #mininghistory

5 8

Reposted by Mica Jorgenson

Tina Adcock @tinaadcock.bsky.social · Jul 31

It was MINING & ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE week in my Canadian #envhist seminar today. Below is a short thread about what we read and watched ⛏️⚖️🧵

1 10 16

Mica Jorgenson @micaamy.bsky.social · Jul 31

Was looking at the satellite today and...is this just a line of retardant on the south flank of this fire? For context, that's the Mackenzie River to the east, and Fort Simpson to the North - Dencho region wildfire in NWT.

Reposted by Mica Jorgenson

NiCHE Canada @nichecanada.bsky.social · Jul 30

In our latest review, @msbeauli.bsky.social examines @micaamy.bsky.social's The Weight of Gold: Mining and the Environment in Ontario, Canada, 1909-1929 ( @unvpress.bsky.social 2023)

niche-canada.org/2025/07/29/r...

#envhist #mininghistory #cdnhist #ontario #bookreview