Satellite: Aqua Date Acquired: 01/07/2008 Resolutions: 1km ( B) 500m ( B) 250m ( B) Bands Used: 1,4,3 Credit: Jeff Schmaltz MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC

Heavy haze clouds the skies over eastern China in this image, captured by the MODIS on the Aqua satellite on January 7, 2008. The haze likely results from industrial and vehicular emissions as China struggles to balance economic growth with a healthy environment. In some cases, agricultural fires can add to the haze, as in Southern China in early January.

As on earlier occasions (for example, October of 2007), the low-lying haze fails to crest the Taihang Shan Mountains and confines itself to the coastal plain. In the south, mountain peaks occasionally break through the blanket of haze. Sometimes combined with clouds, thick haze also obscures the view of Bo Hai and, especially, the Yellow Sea.

Curator: Brandon Maccherone
NASA Official: Shannell Cardwell