Our very clever teacher, Kendall, did a little research to understand why it is dark and orange out.
This is an unnerving time, for sure, and it is our task as adults to bring calm and meaning to this experience for our children.
So, why is the sky dark and orange?!
Very strong winds are pushing smoke 5000 feet up into the air through a process called “turbulent mixing.” Currently, the air quality in Berkeley is not too smoky because smoke has to be at ground level to make it unhealthy. The sun’s longer wavelength light, the red and orange, is able to push through the smoke particles. The shorter wavelength light, the blue and purple, is filtered out.
The thick smoke is also reflecting sunlight which prevents the temperatures from getting too hot.
