November 24, 2015 - Dust storm off Alaska

Dust storm off Alaska

Heavy streams of glacial sediment blew off the Copper River Valley and across the Gulf of Alaska in mid-November, 2015. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on November 13.

Glaciers cover approximately 5% of the landmass of Alaska, many of them fringing the coastline. Glaciers move slowly across the landscape and as they grind forward they scrape away the upper layers of underlying rock, pulverizing it into a fine silt. This glacial silt, also known as loess, can be easily picked up by the high-speed winds that often roar down valleys, such as the Copper River, and can be carried hundreds of miles from their original source.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 11/13/2015
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m (168.2 KB), 250m (420.8 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC