🌫️ It looked like a giant storm sweeping across North America—but it wasn’t a storm at all.
Between July 14 and July 17, 2026, NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) created this visualization using its GEOS atmospheric model to track smoke from hundreds of active wildfires burning across Canada.
The bright red dots mark wildfire hotspots, while the surrounding colors represent the concentration of smoke particles in the atmosphere. Carried by powerful winds, the smoke traveled thousands of kilometers, crossing international borders and spreading across much of the eastern United States.
The consequences were severe. More than 100 million people across 18 U.S. states and Washington, D.C. were placed under air-quality alerts. In several cities, pollution reached hazardous levels. Milwaukee recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 644, the highest in its history, while cities including Chicago, Detroit, and Washington, D.C. temporarily ranked among the world’s worst for air quality.
This event is a powerful reminder that Earth’s atmosphere has no borders. Smoke produced by wildfires in one country can travel immense distances, affecting visibility, public health, and daily life far away from where the fires began.
NASA’s atmospheric models help scientists understand these events, improve air-quality forecasts, and better prepare communities for future wildfire smoke outbreaks.
Visualization Credit: NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) & NASA Scientific Visualization Studio.
Visualizers: Joseph V. Ardizzone, Helen-Nicole Kostis.
Scientists: Allison Collow (UMBC), Lesley Ott (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center).
💬 Were you surprised that wildfire smoke can travel across an entire continent?
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⚠️ Disclaimer
This video is created for educational and informational purposes. The visualization is based on NASA’s atmospheric modeling and satellite observations from July 14–17, 2026. The colors represent modeled smoke concentration (brown-carbon aerosol optical depth) and are not natural-color satellite imagery.
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#NASA #Wildfires #AirQuality #Canada #Smoke #EarthScience #Climate #Atmosphere #ScenicMotionsOmniverse #Shorts
Credit to : Scenicmotionsomniverse