The "natural" air pollution reduced air quality in many cities and towns, including Washington, DC, according to NASA.
When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument orbiting aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite passed over the Atlantic seaboard on Saturday, June 14, 2008, it captured the image to the right, which shows a portion of the smoke plume.
One fast-moving fire burned through the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, causing a major setback in a tree restoration project, according to the Virginian-Pilot.
The newspaper reports that the blaze was sparked when a piece of timbering equipment caught fire while work was ending on a multiyear clearing project to restore Atlantic white cedar trees.
Historically, white cedars were abundant in the swamp, but they have been overrun by other species due to logging and other human activities.
Farther south, a 41,000-acre (17,000-hectare) fire burned through the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. It was sparked by lightning on June 2.
Both blazes had the potential to produce vast amounts of smoke due to the thick layers of peat that blanket the wetlands (swamps) of the refuges.
Peat is created when partially decayed vegetation accumulates in soggy environments. When the peat dries out, it can provide fuel for fires that can smolder for months.
