Images
June 8, 2025 - Dust over the Arabian Sea
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In early June 2025, strong winds created a massive dust storm that covered parts of Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan and blanketed the Arabian Sea. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the swirling dust on June 2.
There is no single point source for the widespread dust. Plumes of light-colored dust can be seen rising from several locations while the source of darker-toned dust isn’t obvious. One source light dust is the Sistan Wetlands, a series of shallow lakes and wetlands that straddle the Afghanistan-Iran border and sit in the northwest border of the image. In wet years, these wetlands live up to their name and contain water, but when temperatures rise and rain is scarce, the wetlands are a source of extremely fine dust that is easily blown aloft by wind.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/2/2025
Resolutions:
1km (1.6 MB), 500m (4.5 MB), 250m (2.9 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
In early June 2025, strong winds created a massive dust storm that covered parts of Afghanistan, Iran, and Pakistan and blanketed the Arabian Sea. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this true-color image of the swirling dust on June 2.
There is no single point source for the widespread dust. Plumes of light-colored dust can be seen rising from several locations while the source of darker-toned dust isn’t obvious. One source light dust is the Sistan Wetlands, a series of shallow lakes and wetlands that straddle the Afghanistan-Iran border and sit in the northwest border of the image. In wet years, these wetlands live up to their name and contain water, but when temperatures rise and rain is scarce, the wetlands are a source of extremely fine dust that is easily blown aloft by wind.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 6/2/2025
Resolutions:
1km (1.6 MB), 500m (4.5 MB), 250m (2.9 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
