Images
February 13, 2009 - Dust in Central Africa
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This image of dust over central Africa was captured by the MODIS on the Terra satellite on February 11, 2009. Shown are Niger (upper left half of image), Chad (right side), Nigeria (lower left), Cameroon (bottom center), and the Central Africa Republic (bottom right). Dry-season winds shape the climate around Lake Chad (visible near the center of the image as a dark brown patch). At the end of the wet season, (September-October), Lake Chad is at its maximum, normally covering just under 10,000 square miles, but as the dry season progresses, the absence of rainfall and the unrelenting winds can dry the lake to only 3000 square miles by April or May.
Millions of people from the countries surrounding Lake Chad depend on the freshwater lake, and increasing demand for water has reduced the lake dramatically. In recent years, agricultural and societal demands for water from the lake have brought Lake Chad's dry season low to less than 900 square miles. Vast dust storms, such as the one pictured in this image advance the desert and create a haze that obscures visibility both on the ground and from space. In the lower half of the image, there are several fires indicated with red dots.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 02/11/209
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
This image of dust over central Africa was captured by the MODIS on the Terra satellite on February 11, 2009. Shown are Niger (upper left half of image), Chad (right side), Nigeria (lower left), Cameroon (bottom center), and the Central Africa Republic (bottom right). Dry-season winds shape the climate around Lake Chad (visible near the center of the image as a dark brown patch). At the end of the wet season, (September-October), Lake Chad is at its maximum, normally covering just under 10,000 square miles, but as the dry season progresses, the absence of rainfall and the unrelenting winds can dry the lake to only 3000 square miles by April or May.
Millions of people from the countries surrounding Lake Chad depend on the freshwater lake, and increasing demand for water has reduced the lake dramatically. In recent years, agricultural and societal demands for water from the lake have brought Lake Chad's dry season low to less than 900 square miles. Vast dust storms, such as the one pictured in this image advance the desert and create a haze that obscures visibility both on the ground and from space. In the lower half of the image, there are several fires indicated with red dots.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 02/11/209
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
