The unprecedented masses of smoke created by bush fires in Australia has returned to its continent of origin after drifting across the Pacific Ocean and circumnavigating the globe, NASA said.
Google Earth images from the agency show its path as a trail of brown smoke made its way around the world. According to NASA, the smoke had already traveled halfway around the Earth and across South America by Jan. 8.
This was made possible by fire-induced thunderstorms that provided a pathway for the smoke to enter the stratosphere, traveling thousands of miles from Australia and affecting atmospheric conditions on a global scale.