Up in smoke

Brush fires in Western Australia have raised air pollution in the outback to
ten times its normal level. The plume of smoke can be seen in satellite images
and was confirmed by the observatory at Lake Argyle in Western Australia.
Researchers think heavy rain last summer caused rapid plant growth in areas that
are often barren, and this is now fuelling the fires. “This part of the country
is suffering air pollution levels greater than those often experienced in major
cities,” says Ross Mitchell from the CSIRO, Australia’s national research
organisation.