The color-coded map displayed above documents the changes in atmospheric aerosol concentrations caused by the wildfires currently sweeping through the United States. The natural calamities in Colorado and the Fontenelle Fire, in Wyoming, are the primary sources for the extra aerosols.
The Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (NPP) satellite documents the thick aerosol cover currently spreading over the US Midwest with its Ozone Mapper Profiler Suite (OMPS) instrument. Yellow indicates the lowest concentrations, while dark red indicates the highest ones.
In a post published on the University of Maryland's Smog Blog on July 4, experts warn that people with conditions sensitive to pollution are in danger, since air quality has dropped significantly due to the contamination.
“AIRNow warned that in areas where visibility dropped below 5 kilometers (3 miles), the air was probably unsafe for sensitive groups, including the elderly and people with breathing difficulties,”
NASA concludes.
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