A Week of Smoky Skies Across North America

An animation shows brown carbon density across North America over one week in July 2026, with the highest concentrations in orange to dark red. The darkest red areas shift eastward over time, covering southern Ontario, the Upper Midwest, and the Northeast.

Brown carbon, emitted by wildland fires and tracked over the span of a week in July 2026, worsened air quality in parts of the U.S. and Canada.

NASA Science