Air Quality Map

[progree]

4. Why the air quality is great, even tho its grayish brown blotting out stars and dimming the sun --

https://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2020/09/17/what-does-the-smoky-haze-from-the-wildfires-mean-for-minnesota-good-question/

“Right now, in Minnesota, because the source of the fire is out west, we have good air quality,” said Daniel Dix, a meteorologist with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.

The smoke has traveled all the way to East Coast and into the Atlantic Ocean via the jet stream. But, because it’s remained 15,000 to 20,000 feet in the air, it’s not affecting air quality outside of the western United States.

“The Rocky Mountains forced it up so high so it stayed up there,” said Dix. “It was too high in the atmosphere for the atmospheric low level to mix and bring it down.”

Instead, he expects it will stay in the atmosphere, which means it will partially block the sun or make it appear pink. That’s because the smoke filters out the blue and green wavelengths of energy, leaving red, pinks and yellows able to come through.