The largest fires in California’s recorded history have caused six people to die, displaced at least 38,000 individuals and sent smoke drifting across the country.

A recent satellite image shows that smoke from fires in California traveled nearly 2,000 miles to Syracuse. The smoke’s presence should make people realize how extensive fires have been on the West Coast — even if the smoke doesn’t directly affect day-to-day life, residents should still care.

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While this doesn’t happen every time there’s a West Coast fire, it’s not uncommon. Last year, at about the same time, smoke was visible because of very similar conditions.

Huiting Mao, associate professor of chemistry at SUNY-ESF, said it’s the westerly winds that allow the smoke particles to travel thousands of miles above the Earth, across the country. The winds create a wave pattern that can be seen on satellite imagery.

While it’s clear from the satellite imagery that there is, or at least has been, smoke above us, Mao doubts it has been visible. The conditions of low wind and high heat tend to cause polluted air to sit in the basin of downtown Syracuse, leading to smog which is more obvious to people, she said.

So if the smoke isn’t visible, and it’s not even affecting flights, why does it matter?

“Why Is Nature Beneficial,” a paper from the Environment and Behavior Journal, examined the role nature can play in the personal lives of people. Participants spent 15 minutes walking in a natural setting, an urban setting or watching videos of natural and urban settings. In all three studies, “exposure to nature increased connectedness to nature, attentional capacity, positive emotions, and ability to reflect on a life problem.”

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We need to know what’s happening in the natural world to spend time in it. And we can use the fires in California to become better citizens: Knowing what stress other Americans are going through allows us to understand how we can help them.

This awareness can make us more educated as voters, and expose us to the perspectives of others. And, those with talents for creativity may even find solutions to problems facing other residents, such as a more effective way to fight wildfires.

Our lives are intrinsically tied to the environment.

As one of the safest places from natural disasters, it can be easy for Syracuse citizens to disregard the rest of the craziness in the world — but there’s a reason to care. The fires in California affect our country, our mental health and the lives of people who matter.

That satellite image proves it.

Peter Morrissey is a entrepreneurship and emerging enterprises and information management and technology dual major. His column appears bi-weekly. He can be reached at pmorriss@syr.edu.

Published on September 11, 2018 at 8:53 pm