BOISE, Idaho — As wildfires continue through the hot and dry months of summer to fall, their smoke isn’t just clouding the skies, it’s also playing a complex role in the atmospheric chemistry.

It can change the surface-level air and potentially affect ozone that is tens of thousands of feet high above the ground. Scientists are studying how wildfire smoke can travel far and have a long-lasting impact.

Once smoke is released into the air, tiny particles and gases from the smoke can be carried for hundreds or even thousands of miles by prevailing winds.

“We are going to see very, very high particulate matter level near the wildfires," Rajesh Kumar, a Deputy Director at the National Science Foundation's National Center for Atmospheric Research , told KTVB. “And probably that becomes a po

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