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Dust clouds over eastern Chi
…
The desert takes to the skie
…
5/9/01
| Date |
5/9/01 |
| Description |
The desert takes to the skies in these images of eastern China from NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR). A hazy summer view from July 9, 2000, (left) compares with a spectacularly dusty spring view from April 7, 2001, (middle). The two images cover an area from central Manchuria near the top to portions of North and South Korea at the bottom. The image on the right is a higher resolution MISR nadir- camera view of a portion of the April 7, 2001, dust cloud. When viewed at full magnification, a number of atmospheric wave features, like the ridges and valleys of a fingerprint, are apparent. These are probably induced by surface topography, which can disturb the wind flow. A few small cumulus clouds are also visible and are casting shadows on the thick lower dust layer. According to the Xinhua News Agency in China, nearly one million tons of Gobi Desert dust blow into Beijing each year. During a similar dust outbreak last year, the Associated Press reported that the visibility in Beijing had been reduced to the point where buildings were barely visible across city streets and airline schedules were significantly disrupted. The dust has also been implicated in adverse health effects such as respiratory discomfort and eye irritation. Asia's desert areas are prone to soil erosion, as underground water tables are lowered by prolonged drought and by industrial and agricultural water use. Heavy winds blowing eastward across the arid and sparsely vegetated surfaces of Mongolia and western China pick up large quantities of yellow dust. Airborne dust clouds from the April 2001 storm blew across the Pacific Ocean and were carried as far as North America. The minerals transported in this manner are believed to provide nutrients for both oceanic and land ecosystems. The left-hand and middle images are from Terra orbits 2,967 and 6,928 respectively. They are approximately 380 kilometers (236 miles) in width. The right-hand image covers an area roughly 250 kilometers (155 miles) wide by 470 kilometers (292 miles) high. Analyses of images such as these constitute one phase of MISR's participation in the Asian-Pacific Regional Aerosol Characterization Experiment, an international campaign aimed at studying the offshore transport of airborne particles from the Asian continent. More information about this international endeavor is available online at http://saga.pmel.noaa.gov/aceasia/ . MISR, built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is one of several Earth-observing experiments aboard Terra, launched in December 1999. MISR acquires images of the Earth at nine angles simultaneously, using nine separate cameras pointed forward, downward, and backward along its flight path. More information about MISR is available at http://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov . JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Image credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team. # # # # # |
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Gobi Dust Storm
| Title |
Gobi Dust Storm |
| Description |
In early and mid-April 2006, waves of dust washed out of the Gobi Desert and spread across eastern China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. According to news reports, a dust storm that hit South Korea [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13484 ] over the weekend of April 8 was the worst the country had seen in four years. This pair of images shows a massive wave of dust that blew out of deserts in north-central China on April 10, 2006. The top image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] on April 7, 2006, shows the landscape of north-central China, including two large, sandy deserts that are part of the Gobi Desert region. Just a few days later, an image from the MODIS sensor on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite shows that the area was completely hidden by a wave of bright dust that reached beyond the Yellow River. Gobi dust is whipped eastward with prevailing winds by spring storms and can spread all the way to the United States. The storms can be hazardous to public health both in terms of air quality and visibility. In addition, the dust storms can devastate croplands and contaminate sensitive electronic equipment. Dust storms in China are on the rise, probably as a result of land degradation, such as deforestation and overgrazing, and drought. The Chinese government has undertaken a large reforestation effort to combat the spread of deserts and to mitigate the effects of dust storms, particularly around urban areas such as Beijing. The large images above are provided at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China3 ] of this area of China in a variety of formats and resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Gobi Dust Storm
| Title |
Gobi Dust Storm |
| Description |
In early and mid-April 2006, waves of dust washed out of the Gobi Desert and spread across eastern China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan. According to news reports, a dust storm that hit South Korea [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13484 ] over the weekend of April 8 was the worst the country had seen in four years. This pair of images shows a massive wave of dust that blew out of deserts in north-central China on April 10, 2006. The top image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] on April 7, 2006, shows the landscape of north-central China, including two large, sandy deserts that are part of the Gobi Desert region. Just a few days later, an image from the MODIS sensor on the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite shows that the area was completely hidden by a wave of bright dust that reached beyond the Yellow River. Gobi dust is whipped eastward with prevailing winds by spring storms and can spread all the way to the United States. The storms can be hazardous to public health both in terms of air quality and visibility. In addition, the dust storms can devastate croplands and contaminate sensitive electronic equipment. Dust storms in China are on the rise, probably as a result of land degradation, such as deforestation and overgrazing, and drought. The Chinese government has undertaken a large reforestation effort to combat the spread of deserts and to mitigate the effects of dust storms, particularly around urban areas such as Beijing. The large images above are provided at MODIS' maximum spatial resolution (level of detail) of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China3 ] of this area of China in a variety of formats and resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Haze in Eastern China
| Title |
Haze in Eastern China |
| Description |
Haze collected south of Beijing on August 13, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image the same day. In this image, haze snakes its way northward from an especially heavy concentration just east of the Yellow Sea. The haze likely resulted from a combination of industrial smog and smoke from wildfires. Weather patterns may have played a role in trapping the haze in this region, Typhoon Pabuk made landfall near Hong Kong and traveled northward along the coast. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4/ ] of this region. |
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Haze over Beijing
| Title |
Haze over Beijing |
| Description |
Haze collected over the Beijing region on July 27, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the haze mingles with clouds, appearing only slightly darker in color and more diffuse in shape. Haze is thick enough to completely hide Beijing, and low-lying haze clings to the river valleys north of the city. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4/ ] of this region. |
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Haze over China
| Title |
Haze over China |
| Description |
Just days after thick haze [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17591 ] collected over the Beijing region, more haze clouded the skies over Bo Hai, east of the capital city. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured these images of Bo Hai on March 26, 2007. The top image is a "true-color" picture, similar to a digital photo. The bottom image is a "false-color" picture that uses a combination of visible and infrared light to give a clearer picture of vegetation, water, and clouds. Besides clearly showing vegetation, water, and clouds, the false-color image, when paired with a true-color image, helps the viewer discern haze. In the top image, thick haze dominates the image, but the same haze barely appears in the bottom image. The pollutants comprising most of the haze have little water content, rendering them largely invisible in the false-color picture. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4 ] of this region. |
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Haze over China
| Title |
Haze over China |
| Description |
Just days after thick haze [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17591 ] collected over the Beijing region, more haze clouded the skies over Bo Hai, east of the capital city. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured these images of Bo Hai on March 26, 2007. The top image is a "true-color" picture, similar to a digital photo. The bottom image is a "false-color" picture that uses a combination of visible and infrared light to give a clearer picture of vegetation, water, and clouds. Besides clearly showing vegetation, water, and clouds, the false-color image, when paired with a true-color image, helps the viewer discern haze. In the top image, thick haze dominates the image, but the same haze barely appears in the bottom image. The pollutants comprising most of the haze have little water content, rendering them largely invisible in the false-color picture. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4 ] of this region. |
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Haze over China
| Title |
Haze over China |
| Description |
Just days after thick haze [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Newsroom/NewImages/images.php3?img_id=17591 ] collected over the Beijing region, more haze clouded the skies over Bo Hai, east of the capital city. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite captured these images of Bo Hai on March 26, 2007. The top image is a "true-color" picture, similar to a digital photo. The bottom image is a "false-color" picture that uses a combination of visible and infrared light to give a clearer picture of vegetation, water, and clouds. Besides clearly showing vegetation, water, and clouds, the false-color image, when paired with a true-color image, helps the viewer discern haze. In the top image, thick haze dominates the image, but the same haze barely appears in the bottom image. The pollutants comprising most of the haze have little water content, rendering them largely invisible in the false-color picture. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4 ] of this region. |
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Haze over Eastern China
| Title |
Haze over Eastern China |
| Description |
More haze filled the skies of eastern China on September 20, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. Unlike the smog in the region on September 17, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13877 ] however, this haze did not hug the coastal plain east of the Taihang Shan range. Instead, it blended with clouds over the mountains while leaving the coast near the Yellow Sea relatively clear. In this image, the haze appears as a pale, dingy gray mass with ill-defined borders, in contrast to the bright white clouds. Weather patterns, including the presence of Typhoon Shanshan [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13883 ] in the region, may have caused this haze to accumulate in eastern China. Because China's Beijing region is one of the world's most densely populated and is urbanizing rapidly, it produces urban and industrial smog, along with smoke from agricultural fires. Where the skies are clear, cities appear as tan dots surrounded by a green landscape. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4 ] of this region. |
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Haze over Eastern China
| Title |
Haze over Eastern China |
| Description |
A thick band of haze hung over the low-lying coastal basin of eastern China on September 17, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. The smoggy blanket stretched from Beijing in the north to beyond Shanghai (hidden by clouds and haze in the lower right corner of the scene). The haze is especially thick just east of the Taihang Shan range that runs southward from the capital city along the western edge of the coastal plain. The haze is darker and fuzzier than the bright white clouds in this image. Also visible is thick, tan-colored sediment in the waters along the coastline. The Beijing region of China is one of the world's most densely populated areas, producing its share of urban and industrial smog. Beneath the haze, a scattering of small tan circles—cities—dot the green vegetation of the plain. Agricultural fires in the region may have added to the haze. Even though the amount of haze being generated at the time of the image might not have been above normal, weather conditions may have been responsible for keep the pollution trapped over the area. Typhoon Shanshan, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13864 ] located offshore to the east, may have been trapping the air over the region, preventing the haze from dispersing over the ocean. A similar situation occurred in the United States in the summer of 2002, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/IDEA/ ] when Hurricane Gustav off the Carolinas prevented hazy air in the Southeast from dispersing over the Atlantic Ocean, and then Tropical Storm Hannah in the Gulf of Mexico kept it from escaping to the south. Air quality across the South and Southeast was compromised for many days during the event. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4 ] of this region. |
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Haze over Eastern China
| Title |
Haze over Eastern China |
| Description |
A nearly opaque plume of haze snaked through eastern China on October 20, 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture the same day. This image shows thick haze hugging the slopes of the Taihang Shan Mountains as it pushes north toward Beijing. Just south of the city, however, the haze veers off to the east, blowing over Bo Hai. The haze likely results from industrial and vehicular emissions as China struggles to balance economic growth with a healthy environment. According to news reports, lung cancer rates in China rose 26.9 percent in males and 38.4 percent in females between 2000 and 2005, and air quality was expected to pose the greatest challenge to athletes in the 2008 Olympics. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4 ] of this region. |
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Hazy Skies over Southeast As
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| Title |
Hazy Skies over Southeast Asia and Southern China |
| Description |
Carbon monoxide hung thickly over the Beijing region for much of March 2006. Although the pollutant was relatively mild over the Korean Peninsula and Bo Hai—the body of water immediately west of the peninsula—carbon monoxide grew thicker to the west. This image is a composite of readings from the Measurements of Pollution in The Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument flying onboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. The image shows carbon monoxide concentrations between March 1 and March 26, 2006. Dark blue indicates the lowest carbon monoxide concentrations while red indicates the highest. Many of the populous regions in China show relatively high concentrations, in yellow. Although less intense than the region around Beijing, a large portion of Southeast Asia also shows elevated levels of carbon monoxide, in pale blue-green with small patches of yellow. Smoke from fires [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13444 ] in that region likely contributed to the elevated pollutant. Gray areas show regions where the instrument could not collect data. High-altitude land features, such as the Himalayas, can interfere with MOPITT data collection. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Toronto MOPITT Teams |
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Dust Over Japan
| Title |
Dust Over Japan |
| Description |
Something more than clouds hovered over Japan on April 18, 2006. Dust filled the skies as well. The dust traveled to the island nation from the Gobi Desert. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture on April 18. In this image, the eastward-moving, tan dust mingles with white clouds. An especially thick plume of dust heads toward the Korean Peninsula and the island of Japan from the west coast of China. The same day this picture was taken, Japan's Meteorological Agency announced that the dust storm reached Tokyo, the first such weather event in that city in six years. The agency predicted reduced visibility but no health hazards. Research results published in 2005, however, suggested that dust storms may carry bacteria from China to Japan. If the Japanese hoped others could understand the frustrations this dust storm caused, they needed to look no further than Beijing. Spring is the season for Gobi Dust storms, but this storm appeared to be unusually hard on China's citizens. According to news reports, it was the worst in five years, dumping some 300,000 tons of dust on Beijing. It was also the second dust storm to hit that city in a week. According to some reports, Chinese officials planned to seed clouds in hopes of bringing some relief. In 2005, a Nature paper examined China's changing environment. Partially worsened by human actions such as overgrazing and grassland degradation, dust storms began to increase in the 20th century. Between AD 300 and 1949, northwestern China saw a dust storm on average every 31 years. After 1990, the average jumped to one such storm per year. According to news reports, at the time this storm hit, the average rate of dust storms for the Beijing region (in northeastern China) was five or six a year. This storm was the eighth to hit the region in 2006. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Dust Storm over East China
| Title |
Dust Storm over East China |
| Description |
Strong winds originating out of China?s Mu Us Desert sent thick plumes of dust billowing eastward over and through passes in the Luliang Mountains on December 6, 2004. The true-color image above was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA?s Aqua satellite. The MODIS instrument aboard Terra captured an image of this same event several hours earlier. [ http://eobadmin.gsfc.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12607 ] The high resolution image available above is 500 meters per pixel. Copies of this scene are also available at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?AERONET_Beijing ] NASA image courtesy MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Dust Storm over East China
| Title |
Dust Storm over East China |
| Description |
Strong winds originating out of China?s Mu Us Desert sent thick plumes of dust billowing eastward over and through passes in the Luliang Mountains on December 6, 2004. The true-color image above was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA?s Terra satellite. You will notice there is a line of discontinuity running diagonally from top to bottom just right of center in this image. This discontinuity is due to fact that parts of two adjacent swaths, acquired about 100 minutes apart, were stitched together from consecutive overpasses of the Terra satellite in order to make the one image you see here. The MODIS sensor aboard the Aqua satellite captured an image of this same event several hours later. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12608 ] The high resolution image available above is 500 meters per pixel. Copies of this scene are also available at additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?AERONET_Beijing ] NASA image courtesy MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Dust Storm over Eastern Chin
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| Title |
Dust Storm over Eastern China |
| Description |
Alhough spring dust storms are common in eastern China, 2006 surpassed the average year in the frequency and intensity of storms. On May 7, 2006, yet another dust storm swept across the North China Plain and veiled the Bo Hai from view. One reason the dust storms have been so frequent in 2006 is that drought has settled over northern China. Hebei Province and the Yellow River basin, both south of Beijing in the lower left corner of the image, received little rain between February and early May, according to the Foreign Agricultural Service [ http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/highlights/2006/04/china_18apr2006/ ]. Dry soil is easily lifted in the wind, and frequent dust storms have resulted. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this photo-like image of the dust storm on May 7, 2006. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Fires and Haze in Eastern Ch
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| Title |
Fires and Haze in Eastern China |
| Description |
Streaks of thick haze were draped over the North China Plain when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) captured this photo-like image on June 4, 2006, from NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. Though it is not possible to tell the source of the haze from a photo-like image like this one, there are several likely contributors. First, dozens of fires, marked in red, are scattered across the southern edge of the plain. A light pall of gray haze lingers over the largest cluster of the fires below the center of the image (more clearly seen in the large image), hinting that smoke may be contributing to the haze. The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) expected China's winter grain harvest to peak during the first two weeks of June, and it's likely that the fires were started by farmers burning the stubble off their fields after harvest. Dust may also be mingling in the mix of haze. In the lower-left corner and right of the center of the image, the haze is opaque with the earthy tan tone that is common for wind-blown dust. Eastern China experienced an unusual number of severe sand storms [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13558 ] in the spring of 2006, when weather patterns in Siberia swept powerful winds across the Gobi Desert and carried dust over Eastern China. The dust shown in this image, however, appears to originate from the North China Plain. Mild drought [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13592 ] settled over the Yellow River Basin, the area immediately north of the band of fires, after a dry spring, reported the FAS. Since dry soil is easily lifted on the wind, the likelihood of dust storms on the plain increases during drought. Finally, urban and industrial pollution could be adding to the haze, particularly in the north. Here, the haze is lighter in color, resembling the white-gray air that sometimes lingers over cities. Several of China's largest cities are in or near the area shown in this image (Beijing is just beyond the top edge of the image), and much of China's industry is in this region as well. The large image provided above is at MODIS' maximum resolution (level of detail), 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4/2006155 ] of Eastern China in a variety of resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Particle Pollution in Easter
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| Title |
Particle Pollution in Eastern China |
| Description |
Thick pearly white haze hung heavily over much of Eastern China on October 25, 2004, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image. The haze has lingered over China for much of October, trapped in place largely by a string of typhoons moving through the East China Sea. The remnants of the most recent typhoon, Nock-ten, is visible along the right edge of the image. The thickest smog is in the north, near China?s capital, Beijing, top right. The most current image of the Beijing region as well as additional resolutions of this image are available from the MODIS Rapid Response System [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4 ]. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Particle Pollution in Easter
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| Title |
Particle Pollution in Eastern China |
| Description |
In the last two decades, China's economy has been developing rapidly. The energy source that has driven the growth is coal. Scientists estimate that as much as 70 percent of the country's energy comes from the burning of coal. The growth of the economy has come hand in hand with both urbanization and the ability of more individuals to own their own cars. With less strict vehicle emission standards than those in developed countries, cities have become increasingly crowded with cars, while skies have become increasingly thick with pollution. This image from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA?s Terra satellite on February 12, 2005, illustrates the air pollution problems China faces as it continues to develop. The east coastal plain, ringed on the west by several rugged mountain ranges, can seem like a bowl filled with hazy air. Pollution gets especially bad over major cities like Beijing and Tianjin, as well as along the Yellow River where it flows eastward out of the mountains. The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides these images at additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Sandstorms Sweep Across Nort
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| Title |
Sandstorms Sweep Across Northern China |
| Description |
Powerful sandstorms have scoured Northern China in recent days. In some places, visibility has dropped to 100 meters (330 feet) in the most intense sandstorm so far this year. About 70 million people in 11 provinces have been affected by strong winds and blowing sand. On March 28, 2004, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this view of the dust moving over the Yellow Sea. The thickness of the dust has nearly obscured the sea. On the left side of the image, the dust and cloud are covering the nation's capital, Beijing. The high resolution image provided above is at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. Image courtesy Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Severe Sandstorm in Northeas
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| Title |
Severe Sandstorm in Northeast China |
| Description |
Visibility across much of northeastern China, including downtown Beijing, was reduced to 500 meters (1,600 feet) as a severe sandstorm swept southeastward out of the Gobi Desert on Wednesday. Residents who had to go outdoors were encouraged to wear masks to protect themselves from the choking effects of the dust and grit. The true-color image above was acquired on March 10, 2004, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Terra satellite. The sandstorm, in the center of this scene, is the wall of tan to light brown streamers completely obscuring the surface and blowing toward the southeast. Scientists suspect that such sandstorm originate in areas that have been deforested and over-grazed for decades, causing the region to become more arid and exposing the dry, loose soil to the elements. Image by Jesse Allen, NASA Earth Observatory, using data courtesy the MODIS Land Rapid Response Team |
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Smog and Sand over Beijing
| Title |
Smog and Sand over Beijing |
| Description |
During the early part of the year, there is considerable outflow of pollution from China and Southeast Asia. Carbon monoxide is a good tracer of this pollution because it is produced by incomplete combustion processes such as the burning of fossil fuels in urban and industrial areas, the use of biofuels in developing countries, and by biomass burning in the tropics. This false-color image shows the concentrations of carbon monoxide in the atmosphere off the coast of Asia and out over the Pacific Ocean. This image represents a composite of data collected during February 2006 by the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument aboard NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. The colors represent the amount of carbon monoxide in a column of air, given in molecules per square centimeter. The gray areas show where no data were collected due to persistent cloud cover. Pollution plumes from Asia can be observed in satellite imagery as they spread far out over the Pacific Ocean, and in some instances the plumes reach the western coast of the United States. Over China, industrial emissions are mainly responsible for the high levels of carbon monoxide observed in the image. In Southeast Asia (lower left corner), February and March are months for widespread agricultural burning, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=13406 ] and the carbon monoxide over that region may be from the high number of fires. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the Univeristy of Toronto MOPITT teams. |
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Smog and Sand over Beijing
| Title |
Smog and Sand over Beijing |
| Description |
Thick smog hung over the Beijing region on April 10, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, smog appears as a hazy cloud of grey that obscures the view of the land surface. Immediately east of the smog are white clouds. According to news reports, unrest over pollution was on the rise in China in the spring of 2006. The Chinese government took steps to curb the problem, implementing a five-year economic plan aimed at improved energy efficiency, including a tax on luxury cars with large engines. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
|
Smog and Sand over Beijing
| Title |
Smog and Sand over Beijing |
| Description |
Thick sand from one of China's famed sandstorms clouded the air over Beijing on April 17, 2006. The storm swept east from the border region between China and Mongolia and blanketed cities across China with gritty yellow sand. The storm was the eighth and worst such storm of 2006, reported the BBC. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture on the morning of April 17. In this image, a thick band of tan dust obscures the view of the land surface below. Immediately east of the sandstorm are thick clouds, colored tan by the airborne dust. Along the coastlines, brownish sediments from both China and the Korean Peninsula cloud the Yellow Sea. As Terra captured this image, The Korea Times predicted that the storm would strike Korea on the evening of April 17, 2006. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] |
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Smog Obscures Chinese Coast
| Title |
Smog Obscures Chinese Coast |
| Description |
A thick shroud of haze lingers over China, turning the sky an opaque grey over much of the eastern portion of the country. Beijing, China?s capital city, is situated roughly 150 km (93 miles) west of Bo Hai Bay, just north of what appears to the densest portion of the aerosol pollution in this true-color scene. The heavy aerosol concentrations can be seen blowing eastward across the Bo Hai Bay and Yellow Sea. These data were collected on March 12, 2002, by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modarch.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] (MODIS), flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC |
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Smog over Beijing, China
| Title |
Smog over Beijing, China |
| Description |
Thick pollution obscured the sky over Beijing and nearby regions on November 4, 2005. According to news reports, [ http://www.terradaily.com/news/pollution-05zr.html ] the city's pollution index reached the highest level on the scale between November 4-5, and residents were warned to spend as little time as possible outdoors. Children, elderly, and those with respiratory conditions were cautioned to be especially careful. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on November 4 as pollutants lingered over the area. In this image, a nearly opaque band of gray smog obscures the view of Beijing and the region to the south. Whiter clouds lie over the smog in the lower portion of the scene, while nearer to the top center of the scene, the haze appears to be hovering above a strip of fog. The rugged mountains that encircle the eastern coastal plain appear to be hemming in the haze, which spreads out in tendrils into the folds of the mountains to the north and west. Various weather conditions can contribute to a pile-up of pollution, including high pressure, high humidity, and large pools of cold air settling near the Earth's surface. Most of the time, atmospheric temperature decreases as altitude increases, and warmer air near the surface rises upward, mixing pollution away. Occasionally, the atmosphere's temperature profile can become inverted, with cold air near the surface and warm air higher up. The cold air is less buoyant, and pollution doesn't disperse. One or more of these meteorological conditions may have played a role in the poor air quality over Beijing at the end of the first week of November. As China industrializes at a record pace, air pollution problems, including acid rain and premature deaths due to respiratory and cardiovascular problems, will continue to be a challenge for the country. According to an article published on October 30, 2005, on NYT.com, acid rain affects 33 percent of China's citizens. And the scientific journal Nature published an article in June 2005 indicating that perhaps as many as 75 percent of China's city dwellers live below the country's acceptable air-quality standard. Second only to the United States in the production of greenhouse gases, China could surpass the United States in the near future as its coal-powered economy continues to grow. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4/2005308/FAS_China4.2005308.terra ] of this region. |
|
Smog over Beijing, China
| Title |
Smog over Beijing, China |
| Description |
China has one of the world's fastest growing economies. While economic growth increases income and wealth, the associated increase in environmental pollution from the burning of fossil fuel and biofuel is a rising concern. One of the gases emitted during incomplete combustion processes is carbon monoxide (CO). CO has a lifetime on the order of weeks and is therefore a well-suited tracer for pollution. This image shows the total CO column density (in molecules per square centimeter) over China averaged for October 27-to November 7, 2005. High CO levels (indicated in red) are detected over large regions in China. The data were collected by the Measurements of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument on board the EOS Terra satellite, which has been retrieving CO concentrations in the troposphere since the beginning of 2000. Missing data due to clouds are color-coded in gray. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the University of Toronto MOPITT Teams. |
|
Smog over China
| Title |
Smog over China |
| Description |
A thick plume of smog hung over the region of Beijing on September 1, 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image the same day. Clouds cover the region in the north, but in the south, smog appears as a heavy band of gray. According to The Seattle Times, China builds a new power plant every week. This building boom has led to a market for equipment that scrubs sulfur from power plant emissions. Unfortunately, not every pollutant has been reduced. Nature has reported that nitrogen dioxide in China's atmosphere has risen by 50 percent in the last decade, and the pollutant continues to accumulate at an increasing rate. Added to the country's appetite for electricity is its appetite for cars, the number of cars in China doubled between 1995 and 2002. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?AERONET_Beijing ] of the Beijing region. |
|
Smog over China
| Title |
Smog over China |
| Description |
A huge, thick cloud of haze hung over eastern China in early September 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on September 10, 2005. In this image, haze covers China from the coastline in the east to the mountains in the west. The mountains actually play a role in trapping haze and smog. Weather patterns also play a role. When air is cooler near the ground and warmer higher up in the atmosphere, haze accumulates in the region. China's industrialization and urban growth contribute to the region's air quality problems. A megacity is an urban center with 10 million or more inhabitants. Two of Earth's 20 most populous cities—Shanghai with 12.8 million inhabitants, and Beijing with 10.8 million inhabitants—are in eastern China. Even outside these major cities, smaller urban areas dot the landscape, appearing in this image as little beige splotches. This image also shows thick sediment along China's coast, pushed toward the ocean by the country's network of rivers. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
|
Smog over China
| Title |
Smog over China |
| Description |
A huge, thick cloud of haze hung over eastern China in early September 2005. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] flying onboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image on September 10, 2005. In this image, haze covers China from the coastline in the east to the mountains in the west. The mountains actually play a role in trapping haze and smog. Weather patterns also play a role. When air is cooler near the ground and warmer higher up in the atmosphere, haze accumulates in the region. China's industrialization and urban growth contribute to the region's air quality problems. A megacity is an urban center with 10 million or more inhabitants. Two of Earth's 20 most populous cities—Shanghai with 12.8 million inhabitants, and Beijing with 10.8 million inhabitants—are in eastern China. Even outside these major cities, smaller urban areas dot the landscape, appearing in this image as little beige splotches. This image also shows thick sediment along China's coast, pushed toward the ocean by the country's network of rivers. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
|
Snow in East China
| Title |
Snow in East China |
| Description |
Winter snow painted the North China Plain white in a storm that snarled traffic on February 6, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this image the following day. The snow highlights how densely populated this region is. Cities are dark spots against the fresh white snow. The largest city shown here is Beijing, but dark dots of varying sizes cover the plain, connected in places by thin, barely perceptible lines that are probably roads. In the large image, the snow extends far to the south over the Yellow River Valley. In the south, the most obvious features are not cities, though they are clearly visible, but intricate grids probably created by canals, roads, and farmland. Falling immediately after Chinese Lunar New Year, the snow was seen as a token of good luck, said news reports. The large image provided above has a resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_China4/2006038 ] of the region in a variety of resolutions. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Spring Dust Storms Scour Chi
…
| Title |
Spring Dust Storms Scour China |
| Description |
A river of dust stretched hundreds of kilometers over China on April 28, 2005. The dust storm originated in the Gobi Desert near the border with Mongolia. Blown by powerful winds from Mongolia, the dust crossed the Luliang Mountains, the peaks of which divide the tan cloud that filled the lower valleys, and blanketed the North China Plain, a highly populated region where several large cities, including Beijing, are located. This image of the storm was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on the morning of April 28. Such dust storms occur frequently in the spring when winds blow out of the north. The large image provided above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions, including MODIS? maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Spring Dust Storms Scour Chi
…
| Title |
Spring Dust Storms Scour China |
| Description |
Just as flowering and greening plants, migrating birds, and flooding herald the coming of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, dust storms are a sign of spring in northern China. Cold fronts from Siberia to the north bring strong winds to the deserts of Inner Mongolia. The winds pick up sand and carry it southeast over the densely populated region surrounding the Bo Hai and the Yellow Sea. In the most powerful storms, the dust may be carried all the way across the Pacific Ocean to North America. The storms subside in mid-May when warm air moves up from the southwest. On April 20, 2005, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this photo-like image of dust over the Yellow Sea. The storm that generated this dense brown cloud of dust covered much of Northern China, including Beijing, with a dusty haze. The dust blew east into Korea, where officials referred to it as the worst dust storm so far this year. The winds are expected to calm on Friday, April 22, 2005. Not all of the brown seen in this image is caused by airborne dust. Near the shores, sediment colors the water of the Yellow Sea. The brown of the sediment fades to green as the dirt is diluted in the sea. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides the image in additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
|
Widespread Smoke, Fires Acro
…
| Title |
Widespread Smoke, Fires Across Eastern China |
| Description |
Many fires (red pixels) were burning across the Henan Province in eastern China on June 7, 2002, filling the skies with a thick pall of greyish smoke as far north as Beijing. The smoke appears to be blowing northeastward over the Yellow Sea toward Korea and Japan. This true-color image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modarch.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS), flying aboard NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. Please note that the high-resolution scene provided here is 500 meters per pixel. For a copy of this scene at the sensor?s fullest resolution, visit the MODIS Rapidfire [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2002158-0607 ] site. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] at NASA GSFC |
|
Fires and Haze in Eastern Ch
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Streaks of thick haze were d
…
China_TMO_2006155
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-06-04 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
China_TMO_2006155 |
|
Dust over Mongolia and China
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Near the end of May 2008, a
…
china_tmo_2008149
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-05-28 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
china_tmo_2008149 |
|
Dust Storm over East Asia: I
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
March often brings an increa
…
ge_08477
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-03-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_08477 |
|
Dust Storm over East Asia: I
…
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
March often brings an increa
…
ge_08477
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-03-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_08477 |
|
Beijing Implements New Pollu
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
As Beijing prepared to host
…
beijing_tmo_2008203
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-07-21 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
beijing_tmo_2008203 |
|
Beijing: Image of the Day
nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
The sprawling, cement-colore
…
beijing_ast_2007220
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-08 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan asterweb.jpl.nasa.gov/ ASTER Science Team. |
| identifier |
beijing_ast_2007220 |
|
Dust Storm over East Asia: N
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
asdust_tmo_2008061
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-03-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
asdust_tmo_2008061 |
|
Smog over China: Natural Haz
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A thick plume of smog hung o
…
chinasmog_tmo_2005244
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-09-01 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
chinasmog_tmo_2005244 |
|
Haze over China: Natural Haz
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
china_tmo_2007085
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-03-26 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
china_tmo_2007085 |
|
Haze in Eastern China: Natur
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Haze collected south of Beij
…
china_tmo_2007225
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-13 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
china_tmo_2007225 |
|
Pollution over China: Natura
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
This true-color image over n
…
chinadust.TMO2002325
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2002-11-21 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
chinadust.TMO2002325 |
|
Pollution over China: Natura
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
This true-color image over n
…
chinadust.TMO2002325
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2002-11-21 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
chinadust.TMO2002325 |
|
Haze over Eastern China: Nat
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
More haze filled the skies o
…
chinahaze_tmo_2006263
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2006-09-20 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
chinahaze_tmo_2006263 |
|
Smog over Beijing, China: Na
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
China has one of the world's
…
china_MOP_2005300-311
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-11-07 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
china_MOP_2005300-311 |
|
Severe Sandstorm in Northeas
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Visibility across much of no
…
aqua_gobi_10mar04
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2004-03-10 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
aqua_gobi_10mar04 |
|
Particle Pollution in Easter
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
In the last two decades, Chi
…
China4.TMOA2005043
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2005-02-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
China4.TMOA2005043 |
|
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