El Niño Fuels Indonesia's Underground Peat Fires, Darkening Skies

NASA's Earth Observatory reports that drought and a strong El Niño are driving Indonesia's peatland fires to smolder underground, producing thick smoke that darkens skies across Borneo and beyond. Satellite data show hundreds of hotspots, with peat fires being hard to detect beneath smoke, clouds, or underground deposits. Indonesia contains about 36% of the world's tropical peatlands, and past seasons like 2015 saw vast emissions; by early September 2026, fires have burned for about a month and released roughly 10% of the 2015 total. Authorities have implemented canal damming and wetlands restoration, and researchers are developing new detection methods, while smoke disrupts daily life through remote schooling, park closures, and flight delays as rains are still a few months away.