Haze

An atmospheric aerosol of sufficient concentration to be visible. The particles are so small that they cannot be seen individually, but are still effective in scene distortion and visual range restriction.

Uniform Haze

Pinnacles National Monument, California

Clear Day, Visibility ~ 200 miles Hazy Day, Visibility ~ 15 miles

During the hazy day, the mountains at Pinnacles National Monument have lost texture and the colors have been washed out. in addition, the distant vista's have been lost.

Layered Haze

Under stagnant air mass conditions, aerosols can be "trapped" and produce a visibility condition usually referred to as layered haze. The following figures shows Navajo Mountain viewed from Bryce Canyon National Park with a bright layer of haze that covers half of the mountain.

Navajo Mountain


The layered haze obscuring the bottom half of Navajo Mountain is due to pollutants trapped in a stable air mass that extends from the ground to about halfway up the mountain side.	A suspended layered haze obscuring the top portion of the mountain.