Wildfire Brown Carbon Degraded Air Quality Across US and Canada for a Week

Wildland fires across North America released brown carbon that significantly worsened air quality in parts of the United States and Canada. NASA tracked the spread of this smoke-related pollutant over the course of a week in July 2026. Brown carbon, a byproduct of biomass burning, is known to reduce air quality and visibility over wide areas. The week-long tracking effort highlighted the regional impact of wildfire emissions on atmospheric conditions across both countries.