Is haze the same thing as smog?

Question

Smog is a combination of the two words "Smoke" and "Fog". Haze is when particulate matter and low lying clouds combine together. Isn't that the same thing?

Answer 1

Smog is a combination of smoke and fog; speaking of elements combined. Smog appears heavy, is dense sometimes smelly that blankets low and consistent.
Haze is a thin mist of fog that obscures or vague in it's structure to obscure viewing.
The appropriate usage of the two words would make it not the same thing, as in "smog condition makes viewing hazy".

Answer 2

From what I know, haze is more related to things like forest fires (look at Northern Thailand right now) while smog actually refers to what happens when you get a mixture of industrial pollution and fog (1950s London: Pea soup). Hope that helps!

Answer 3

Smog can be part of haze, but haze doesn't necessarily include smoke/smog - it can happen from something as simple as dust or pollen as well.

Answer 4

Not necessarily; haze may consist of little more than water vapor, partly condensed into extremely fine particles in saturated (usually hot) air. Most summer haze falls into this category.