Google Earth images from NASA show smoke had reached South America earlier this month.
The unprecedented masses of smoke created by bushfires in Australia returned to their continent of origin after drifting across the Pacific Ocean and circumnavigating the globe,show the trail of brown smoke as it made its way around the world. According to NASA, the smoke had traveled halfway around the Earth and across South America by Jan. 8.
Fire-induced thunderstorms provided a pathway for the smoke to enter the stratosphere, traveling thousands of miles from Australia and affecting atmospheric conditions on a global scale. Wood smoke contains some of the same toxic chemicals as urban air pollution, along with tiny particles of vapor and soot 30 times thinner than a human hair.
The fires have claimed at least 28 lives since September, destroyed more than 2,600 homes and scorched more than 25.5 million acres of land, mostly in the state of New South Wales. Hospital admissions increased in the smoke-affected cities as some patients suffered asthma for the first time in their lives. The government distributed 3.5 million free particle-excluding masks.
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