Smoke from the South

Scientists using NASA satellites and computer models have shown that pollutants from Central American biomass burning can influence air quality and climate in the United States.

Researchers found that during April and May 2003, large amounts of smoke, which include aerosols--tiny particles suspended in the air--from biomass burning in the Yucatan Peninsula and southern Mexico reached Texas, Oklahoma, and other areas in the southeastern United States.

The smoke plumes degraded visibility and air quality in coastal regions along the Gulf of Mexico and resulted in the greatest concentration of small particulate matter in southern Texas since 1998. By blocking incoming sunlight, the smoke plumes also cooled surface air temperatures over land. But higher in the atmosphere the smoke absorbed solar radiation and warmed temperatures. This created a circulation pattern that trapped smoke aerosols in the lower atmosphere, worsening air quality.

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--LiveScience Staff

Credit: NASA/MODIS Rapid Response Team