Wildfire Smoke Shrouds the U.S. West

An unusual amount of smoke from wildfires has spread across hundreds of miles.

Image of the Day Heat Fires Human Presence

Smoke from fires in Idaho and Montana

Dust and Haze

Mapping the Flow of Smoke

Smoke from fires in southwestern Oregon drifted over much of Oregon in this true color image from late September 2009. The associated aerosol image reveals that the smoke reached as far east as eastern Montana and central Canada, illustrating that pollution travels long distances.

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Winds Blow Smoke in California

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Smoke over the U.S. Midwest

Acquired June 8, 2011, this natural-color image shows smoke from Arizona wildfires over the U.S. Midwest.

Dust and Haze

Smoke over Hudson Bay

Thick smoke choked the skies over Manitoba, Ontario, and Hudson Bay on Tuesday, July 24, 2007. Thick swaths of smoke hundreds of kilometers across stretch eastward over Canada’s land and water. The smoke can be distinguished from the nearby clouds by the difference in color. Whereas clouds are bright white, the smoke is dingy gray.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Dust and Haze

Fires in British Columbia

This image taken by the crew of the International Space Station on August 20, 2003, illustrates how smoke has become trapped in valleys. Normally air temperature decreases with altitude; in other words, the higher up you are, the colder it is. Warmer, more buoyant air near the surface of the Earth usually rises into the atmosphere, carrying away air pollutants such as smoke. However, sometimes the “higher equals colder” relationship breaks down, for example, here in the northern Rockies, where light winds and cold air drainage from the higher elevations have created “temperature inversions,” making the air in the valley colder and denser than the air at the mountain peaks.

Atmosphere Land Fires

Increased Fire Comes with Increased Health Risks

Researchers believe recent fire seasons give a taste of the more active wildfires of the future. Such fires are likely to increase air pollution, even as emissions from industry and motor vehicles have fallen in recent decades.

Image of the Day Heat Fires Remote Sensing

Canadian Wildfires Produce River of Smoke

Smoke from fires in Canada streamed into the United States.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Fires

Aussie Smoke Plumes Crossing Oceans

As fires continue to rage in southern and eastern Australia, the smoke has risen high and far across the atmosphere.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Heat Land Drought Fires Remote Sensing

Unhealthy Smoke Over Thailand

Wildfires and agricultural burning have produced thick haze for the past month.

Atmosphere Land Fires Human Presence Remote Sensing

Smoke Blankets British Columbia

Hundreds of fires are burning in the Canadian province.

Image of the Day Heat Land Fires Snow and Ice

Smoke from Fires in Canada

Gray-brown smoke drifts north over the Canadian Arctic and the Beaufort Sea in this true-color image from June 28, 2010.

Atmosphere Dust and Haze