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The article says the fires are especially bad because they're burning peatland this year, which is releasing trapped hydrocarbons into the atmosphere.
by khuey 11y ago
The article says the fires are especially bad because they're burning peatland this year, which is releasing trapped hydrocarbons into the atmosphere.
- refurb 11y agoPeat contains hydrocarbons? Are you sure?
- khuey 11y agoWell, trapped carbon is what actually matters. But yes, there are hydrocarbons of various forms in just about everything that is or was once alive.
- refurb 11y agoHydrocarbons are molecules that contain nothing but hydrogen and carbon. That includes things like gasoline. Most living organisms contain no hydrocarbons at all. They might contain carbohydrates or proteins or fats, but not hydrocarbons.
- masklinn 11y agoIt's not "this year", most indonesian forests sit on peat. This year's bad because it's a severe El Niño year making south-east asia very dry and thus fires worse. The article notes that the previous record year was 1997… which was also a strong El Niño year.