October 5, 2008 - Dust Storm in Iraq

Dust storm in Iraq

A massive cloud of dust hovered over Iraq in mid-September 2008. The MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on September 16, 2008.

In this natural-color image, a nearly uniform cloud of dust obscures the view of northeastern Iraq and a small portion of Iran. The source points for the dust storm are not obvious from this image, although the fine sediments of the Tigris and Euphrates floodplain provide plentiful material for dust storms in this region. Winds moving the dust may have changed direction slightly since kicking the dust particles aloft.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 09/16/2008
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC