Northern India smothered in hazardous smog, smoke layer visible from space
Air quality readings across wide swaths of northern India this week are well above hazardous levels for the fourth consecutive day, leading to school closures and pleas from government officials to limit driving.
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NEW DELHI, India – Days of worsening smog and smoke are creating a murky layer so thick that the dangerous haze can be seen from space.
Air quality readings across wide swaths of northern India this week are well above hazardous levels for the fourth consecutive day, leading to school closures and pleas from government officials to limit driving.
WHAT IS A TEMPERATURE INVERSION AND WHY CAN IT LEAD TO POOR AIR QUALITY?
NASA MODIS satellite image of India taken on Nov. 6, 2023. (NASA)
NASA’s MODIS satellite showed a milky haze draped over much of northern India Monday as IQAir listed Delhi as having the worst air quality in the world Tuesday with a reading of 481, with some air quality monitors getting readings over 500, denoting hazardous air.
Photos from the region show skylines and horizons obscured – the iconic Taj Mahal barely visible from just yards away. Delhi’s airport has reported visibility at a mile or less for the majority of the past week.
And there has been little relief as the wintertime weather pattern settles in. Reuters says Delhi routinely ranks among the worst air qualities in the world at the onset of winter as clear skies allow the surface to cool at night.
The dense, cold air near the ground creates an inversion that traps pollutants from cars and industry from heavily populated urban centers near the surface. Widespread smoke and residue from farmers burning crop fields at the end of the harvest adds to the particulate concentration.
In Delhi, primary schools remain closed through at least Nov. 10, according to Reuters, and the government will soon enact restrictions on vehicle traffic, limiting use to odd or even days depending on the vehicle license plate.