Video · 0:57
Why does the haze get so thick some years?
Thick haze happens when a weather pattern called El Niño warms ocean water and pushes rain clouds away from tropical forests. The dry trees sit on top of peat, a special dirt made of old plants that can catch fire from a tiny spark. These fires burn slowly underground for weeks without big flames, sending thick smoke high into the sky. Slow winds then blow the smoke across the ocean and into cities.
Watch on YouTube ↗Key facts
- A weather pattern called El Niño warms ocean water and pushes rain clouds far away.
- Peat is a special dirt under forest trees that acts like an underground sponge of old plants.
- Peat fires burn slowly underground for weeks without producing big flames.
- Slow winds push the thick smoke across the ocean and into cities.
Questions people also ask
What is peat?
Peat is a special dirt found under trees that acts like an underground sponge of old plants.
Why does El Niño stop the rain?
El Niño warms the ocean water, which pushes rainy clouds far away and leaves tropical forests without rain.
How does the smoke travel to cities?
Slow winds blow the thick smoke from underground peat fires across the ocean until it rolls into cities.
What the video says
Why is the sky so grey? The mystery starts far away in the ocean. A weather pattern called El Niño warms the water.
This warm water pushes rainy clouds far away. The tropical forests get no rain. The trees become very hot and dry.
Under the trees is a special dirt called peat. It is like an underground sponge of old plants. A tiny spark can catch fire.
This fire does not make big flames. It burns slowly under the dirt for weeks. It sends up thick smoke into the sky.
Slow winds push this smoke across the ocean. It rolls into our cities. That is why the air looks like a giant cloud.
