Mica Jorgenson

Here's the message I'm getting.

This morning when I opened up NASA FIRMS to check for heat signatures, I recieved an error message that stated that information was no longer being regularly updated due to federal funding constraints. Has anyone else sees this? Any additional info? #wildfire

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

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

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 !

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).

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

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

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/...

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).

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).

definitely not, since its in northern BC, Canada.

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.

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."

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

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.

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.

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

ditnikkwun / ᑔᐪᘆᐟᐠᗒᐣ / Castilleja miniata

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...

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...

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

10 days later

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)

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

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

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.

Review of Jorgenson, The Weight of Gold Jorgenson’s The Weight of Gold connects Porcupine mining history to global patterns, emphasizing environmental crises, personal memory, and marginalized impacts.

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

YouTube video by BC Wildfire Service Factors that influence fire behaviour

How do different forestry practices impact fire behaviour? Its complicated. youtu.be/1COXneXdkl4?...

What a generous and lovely review of my book to greet me at my desk this morning! Thank you @msbeauli.bsky.social, @nichecanada.bsky.social and @peterastevens.bsky.social 🤗

So far my season has been a study in contrasts. Pic on the right is on treaty 8 as far to the north as you can get in BC. Pic on the left is on Syilx land almost at the 49th parallel. Muskeg and black spruce vs. semi-arid pine and grassland.

AND I found raspberries.

Got to look at an open pit mine and a forest fire today and it also happened to be my birthday