Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Earth Observatory Collection
Title:
Dust Storm over Afghanistan and Pakistan
Description:
Sandstorms that have been scouring southwestern Afghanistan since early June 2003 are being called the worst in living memory by residents of the area. The dust and sand have buried villages, filled waterways, destroyed crops and killed livestock. The storms are persisting longer than expected, creating a huge environmental problem for the residents of this region. Most of the windblown dust appears to be originating in the Sistan Basin, which is home to the Hamoun Wetlands straddling the border between Iran and Afghanistan. Persistent drought conditions there, coupled with increased irrigation off the Helmand River, have quickly turned these wetlands into arid salt pans.

The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS’ maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters.

Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MOD IS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Satellite - Sensor:
Aqua- MODIS
facet_what:
Aqua
facet_where:
Iran
facet_where:
Pakistan
facet_where:
Afghanistan
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_when:
June 2003
facet_when_year:
2003
UID:
SPD-ETOBS-11719
original url:

Dust Storm over Afghanistan and Pakistan