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Impermanent lakes occur along the border between Iran and Afghanistan. When the lakes dry out, the newly exposed sediments provide material for dust storms. On December 13, 2012, a dust storm struck the region, and at least some of the dust arose from the fine sediments along the Iran-Afghanistan border.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on December 13. The image shows two large plumes, one along the Iran-Afghanistan border, and another in western Pakistan. In western Pakistan, the dust is thick enough to completely hide the ground surface below.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/13/2012
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC