Images
October 12, 2024 - Dust over the Arafura Sea
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A large cloud of dark tan dust blew across northern Australia in early October 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the dust as it crossed the Arafura Sea, between northern Australia and Papau New Guinea, on October 10.
Although there is no obvious source for the dust, it most likely rose from the dry interior of the country, which has been parched from high temperature and dry conditions. The strong wind that drove the dust aloft probably originated from a violent storm that dropped hail and damaged roofs in eastern Queensland and New South Wales on October 9. The storm was moving away from land on October 10, but still pushing widespread heavy winds over a large area.
In addition to the dust, several gray plumes stretched westward over the Timor Sea from the western coast of Northern Territory and the Tiwi Islands. These are streamers of smoke billowing from several bushfires burning across the region. The bushfire season in Northern Territory’s Top End is well underway, with dozens of fires burning across Northern Territory. Typically, bushfire season begins in April and ends in November.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/10/2024
Resolutions:
1km (258.9 KB), 500m (625.1 KB), 250m (1.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
A large cloud of dark tan dust blew across northern Australia in early October 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the dust as it crossed the Arafura Sea, between northern Australia and Papau New Guinea, on October 10.
Although there is no obvious source for the dust, it most likely rose from the dry interior of the country, which has been parched from high temperature and dry conditions. The strong wind that drove the dust aloft probably originated from a violent storm that dropped hail and damaged roofs in eastern Queensland and New South Wales on October 9. The storm was moving away from land on October 10, but still pushing widespread heavy winds over a large area.
In addition to the dust, several gray plumes stretched westward over the Timor Sea from the western coast of Northern Territory and the Tiwi Islands. These are streamers of smoke billowing from several bushfires burning across the region. The bushfire season in Northern Territory’s Top End is well underway, with dozens of fires burning across Northern Territory. Typically, bushfire season begins in April and ends in November.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/10/2024
Resolutions:
1km (258.9 KB), 500m (625.1 KB), 250m (1.3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
