This story was originally published in Wired and appears here as part of our Climate Desk collaboration. As massive bushfires raged across eastern Australia in January 2020, a deadly haze settled over Melbourne, an obvious signal for residents to stay indoors. Bouncing over their heads, though, was a less conspicuous signal: Cellular data was flying through the air in an odd pattern, one that scientists may be able to use to better understand and predict severe smoke events in the future. The cell signals above Melbourne were interacting with an…
