Smoke and dust from Australian bushfires spotted over Chile more than 11,000km away

The yellow-tinged sky in Chile. Photo / via Twitter

Smoke and dust from the Australian bushfires have been spotted over Chile, South America, more than 11,000 from the blazes.

The distance travelled by the smoke and dust was roughly equivalent to driving the length of New Zealand's State Highway 1 five and a half times.

Weather service Niwa posted a forecast to Twitter which showed the path of the smoke and dust.

Most of the smoke appeared to hover over the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean above New Zealand before making its way to South America.

However, a small pocket of smoke could be seen covering parts of New Zealand over the weekend.

In the Twitter post, Niwa said there were no significant plumes of smoke expected to cover New Zealand over the next several days.

The yellow-tinged sky in Chile. Photo / via Twitter

Smoke & dust from the Australian bushfires has now travelled 11,000+ km across the South Pacific, moving into Chile 🔥

Over the next several days, no significant plumes are expected for NZ. pic.twitter.com/PlrHNui3m6

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) January 8, 2020

Three days ago, the North Island was covered in an orange haze for much of Sunday afternoon as the smoke passed over the country.

The phenomenon which created an orange haze was known as cloud condensation nuclei (CCNs).

CCNs were small particles typically 1/100th the size of a cloud droplet which water vapour can condense on.

The smoke particles in the atmosphere above the North Island were acting as this non-gaseous surface to make the transition from vapour to a liquid.

MetService meteorologist Tahlia Crabtree explained the process when smoke altered the atmosphere in the South Island last week.

"They're little particles in the air and they're big enough that they can interact with the light from the sun which is why it ends up looking quite hazy, scattering the light," Crabtree said.

"The brown or orange tinge is due to the fact it tends to scatter light at the blue end of the visible light spectrum which means eventually the reds and oranges are more significant.

"Especially at sunrise and sunset there is more of the troposphere, the upper atmosphere, that the light has to travel through, and if there's a lot of smoke there's a lot more scattering."

The sun tries to break through the clouds amid smoke and haze from the Australian bushfires. Photo / Dean Purcell

The revelation comes amid warnings people with respiratory conditions could experience trouble breathing because of the smoke.

Asthma and Respiratory Foundation chief executive Letitia Harding said there hadn't been any official reports of increased respiratory problems yet, however, people with respiratory conditions should always be mindful of potential risks.

"If you have a respiratory condition, you should ensure that you keep your medication with you at all times," Harding said.

"It's also a good time to remember that medication does expire, and so you should ensure that your inhalers are up to date in case you need them."