March 16, 2010 - Dust over China

Dust over China

The MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image of a large dust storm sweeping across eastern China on March 12, 2010. In the natural color image, a ribbon of tan dust extends across the North China Plain and over the Yellow Sea towards the Korean peninsula. A bank of clouds, probably from the same weather system that caused the dust storm, frames the northern edge of the airborne dust. The source of the dust is not clear from this image, but the dust appears to have been transported from the west.

In the large image, thick haze blankets the area southwest of the dust storm. While the haze may contain dust, it is likely smoke from widespread fires in Southeast Asia. The large image is the highest resolution version of the image. The image is available in additional resolutions from the MODIS Rapid Response System.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 03/12/2010
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC