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The destructive wildfires currently raging in the American West have produced so much smoke that it can be observed in the majority of U.S. states, the Weather Channel reported.
Varying concentrations of smoke have spread as far east as Lake Superior and Hudson Bay, and as far south as Baja, California, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said Monday.
Aerosol index simulations from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center from last Friday through Monday even showed smoke particles along the Southeastern coast and parts of upstate New York and northern New England, the Weather Channel noted.
The thickest smoke can be observed across much of California, Oregon, eastern Washington, northern Nevada, northern Utah, southern Wyoming, northern Colorado and southwestern Nebraska, according to NOAA.
There are 18 active fires in California alone, including the Mendocino Complex Fire, which was recently declared the largest in state history, and eclipsed last year's Thomas fire which burned 283,800 acres in Ventura and Santa Barbara.
European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst took photos of California's thick plumes from the International Space Station.
"California burning. These fires are frightening to watch, even from space. Here's a shout-out from space to all firefighters on this planet, my former colleagues. Stay safe my friends!" Gerst tweeted Aug. 3.
Officials have issued air quality advisories to dozens of communities surrounding the wildfires.
The National Weather Service warns that exposure to particle pollution can cause serious health problems, aggravate lung disease, cause asthma attacks and acute bronchitis and increase risk of respiratory infections.
The West's string of destructive wildfires has been attributed to climate change, as drought and heat waves combine to increase the risk that dry vegetation will ignite.
"It is our changing climate that is leading to more severe and destructive fires," deputy chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Scott McLean told The Huffington Post Monday.
EcoWatch Daily Newsletter
By Jake Johnson
A Greenpeace report released Tuesday uses a hypothetical "Smart Supermarket" that has done away with environmentally damaging single-use plastics to outline a possible future in which the world's oceans and communities are free of bags, bottles, packaging and other harmful plastic pollutants.
By Irene Banos Ruiz
Pediatricians in New Delhi, India, say children's lungs are no longer pink, but black.
Our warming planet is already impacting the health of the world's children and will shape the future of an entire generation if we fail to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius (35.6°F), the 2019 Lancet Countdown Report on health and climate change shows.
The FBI is looking into how the state of Pennsylvania granted permits for a controversial natural gas pipeline as part of a corruption investigation, the AP reports.
Three cows who were washed off their North Carolina island by Hurricane Dorian have been found alive after swimming at least two miles, The New York Times reported Wednesday.
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The fight between the Standing Rock Sioux and the owners of the Dakota Access Pipeline is back on, as the tribe opposes a pipeline expansion that it argues would increase the risk of an oil spill.
A middle-aged married couple in China was diagnosed with pneumonic plague, a highly infectious disease similar to bubonic plague, which ravaged Europe in the middle ages, as CNN reported.
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Dairy aisles have exploded with milk and milk alternative options over the past few years, and choosing the healthiest milk isn't just about the fat content.
Whether you're looking beyond cow's milk for health reasons or dietary preferences or simply want to experiment with different options, you may wonder which type of milk is healthiest for you.
Greta Thunberg, the teenage climate activist whose weekly school strikes have spurred global demonstrations, has cut short her tour of the Americas and set sail for Europe to attend COP25 in Madrid next month, as The New York Times reported.