Images
December 20, 2010 - Dust storms in southwest Asia
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One day after blowing over the borders between Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, a massive dust plume migrated southward. On December 5, 2010, the plume was over the Arabian Sea, headed for the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image the same day.
Typically arid, Pakistan experiences frequent dust storms, and the country holds sand seas that easily give rise to such events. Ironically, as dust blew over the eastern part of the country, areas along the Indus River were still coping with standing water left by the 2010 monsoon floods.
In this image, the country to the west is Iran and Pakistan is to the east. Afghanistan borders the image on the north while Oman lies in the southwest corner. The Gulf of Oman separates the tan lands of Iran and Oman while the blue waters in the southeast corner are those of the Arabian Sea.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/2/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B),
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
One day after blowing over the borders between Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, a massive dust plume migrated southward. On December 5, 2010, the plume was over the Arabian Sea, headed for the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image the same day.
Typically arid, Pakistan experiences frequent dust storms, and the country holds sand seas that easily give rise to such events. Ironically, as dust blew over the eastern part of the country, areas along the Indus River were still coping with standing water left by the 2010 monsoon floods.
In this image, the country to the west is Iran and Pakistan is to the east. Afghanistan borders the image on the north while Oman lies in the southwest corner. The Gulf of Oman separates the tan lands of Iran and Oman while the blue waters in the southeast corner are those of the Arabian Sea.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 12/2/2010
Resolutions:
1km ( B), 500m ( B),
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
