October 22, 2022 - Dust in Afghanistan and Turkmenistan

Dust in Afghanistan and Turkmenistan

On October 20, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of a long plume of dust blowing across Afghanistan and Turkmenistan. The dust appears to rise from a wide source near the border of Afghanistan and Uzbekistan, then is swept westward by strong winds. The plume of dust is so thick that not only does it obscure the land beneath, but the airborne dust forms dune-like waves which creates a textured appearance.

The region’s dry terrain is a mixture of rugged mountains and sandy or rocky deserts. Dust storms can happen any time of the year in Afghanistan. On average, Afghanistan experiences blowing dust one to two days per month in the winter and six days per month at the height of the summer.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/20/2022
Resolutions: 1km (979.8 KB), 500m (2.6 MB), 250m (1.9 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC