Images
July 10, 2023 - Dust in Southwestern Asia
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Plumes of dust spread across southwestern Asia in the last weeks of June and the first week of July, 2023. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the widespread dust event on July 7.
On this day, most of the dust rose from dry lakebed sediments along the border between Iran (west) and Afghanistan (center and north). Strong winds sweep the airborne sediments across both Afghanistan and Pakistan. In places the dust is so thick that it completely obscures the land beneath from view. Dust from the sand seas over western Pakistan likely join the dust storm.
Dust storms are the primary natural hazard in this region, and may occur any time of the year. The unsettled summertime winds kept dust aloft in southwestern Asia for at least two weeks, with skies clearing—at least briefly—on July 9.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/7/2023
Resolutions:
1km (482 KB), 500m (1.2 MB), 250m (709.3 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Plumes of dust spread across southwestern Asia in the last weeks of June and the first week of July, 2023. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the widespread dust event on July 7.
On this day, most of the dust rose from dry lakebed sediments along the border between Iran (west) and Afghanistan (center and north). Strong winds sweep the airborne sediments across both Afghanistan and Pakistan. In places the dust is so thick that it completely obscures the land beneath from view. Dust from the sand seas over western Pakistan likely join the dust storm.
Dust storms are the primary natural hazard in this region, and may occur any time of the year. The unsettled summertime winds kept dust aloft in southwestern Asia for at least two weeks, with skies clearing—at least briefly—on July 9.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/7/2023
Resolutions:
1km (482 KB), 500m (1.2 MB), 250m (709.3 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
