How Does a Forest Fire Affect the Atmosphere?

Forest fires make smoke that goes up into the sky, like when you burn a match. This smoke has tiny particles inside it, and they float around in the air. These little bits of smoke can travel far away from where the fire happened, even to other countries! When there are lots of these tiny bits, they change how light travels through the air, which makes the sky look different colors, sometimes red or orange.

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Examples

Imagine a campfire in the woods, but it's huge! The smoke from that fire goes up into the sky, changing the color of the clouds.
A forest fire might send tiny bits of soot all the way to another country. That’s how far those particles can travel.
If you're on a mountain and there's a big fire below, the sky might look orange or red. This is because the smoke changes how light moves through the air.

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Categories: Environment · atmosphere· climate change· wildfires