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Agricultural Fires in Northw
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| Title |
Agricultural Fires in Northwest India |
| Description |
While a dust storm blows out of the deserts of southern Afghanistan and Pakistan and southward down the Indus River Plain (image left), numerous active fires were burning in northwestern India in the shadow of the Himalaya (upper right). The widespread nature of the fires and the time of year suggest that they are being set intentionally for agricultural purposes. Though not necessarily hazardous, such large-scale burning can have a strong impact on weather, climate, human health, and natural resources. This image of the fires (marked in red) and the dust storm was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua satellite on October 9, 2004. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
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Agricultural Fires in Northw
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| Title |
Agricultural Fires in Northwest India |
| Description |
A tight cluster of red dots in the top left of this image marks the location of numerous actively burning fires at the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains in northwest India. The image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite on October 22, 2004, and also shows a thick haze dammed up at the base of the towering mountains at upper right. While smoke from the fires almost certainly contributed to the haze, there may also be residual dust from dust storms in the deserts of Afghanistan and Pakistan in previous weeks, as well as urban pollution from cities in Pakistan and India. The border between the two countries runs mostly along the eastern edge of the fertile Indus River floodplain, where vegetation stands out sharply against the paler, more arid terrain in the far left portion of the image. The Indus flows southward and empties into the Arabian Sea. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Floods in Pakistan
| Title |
Floods in Pakistan |
| Description |
A blistering heat wave [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12916 ] settled over southern Asia for much of June. The high temperatures melted mountain snowpacks, sending torrents of flood water down the rivers of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. The top Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) image shows flooding along the Kabul River on June 27, 2005. The image was acquired by the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite and is shown in false color with water being dark blue, clouds light blue and white, and vegetation bright green. The lower image was taken on June 15, 2005, by the MODIS sensor flying aboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite as the river was beginning to rise. Though slightly swollen in the lower image, the river has not spread widely beyond its banks, as it appears to have done in the top image. The large images provided above are at MODIS? maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_India1 ] of the region in a variety of resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Pakistan
| Title |
Floods in Pakistan |
| Description |
A blistering heat wave [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12916 ] settled over southern Asia for much of June. The high temperatures melted mountain snowpacks, sending torrents of flood water down the rivers of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India. The top Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) image shows flooding along the Kabul River on June 27, 2005. The image was acquired by the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite and is shown in false color with water being dark blue, clouds light blue and white, and vegetation bright green. The lower image was taken on June 15, 2005, by the MODIS sensor flying aboard the Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite as the river was beginning to rise. Though slightly swollen in the lower image, the river has not spread widely beyond its banks, as it appears to have done in the top image. The large images provided above are at MODIS? maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?FAS_India1 ] of the region in a variety of resolutions. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Pakistan
| Title |
Floods in Pakistan |
| Description |
Rivers across Pakistan were grossly swollen on July 21, 2005, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. A combination of monsoon rains and high temperatures have caused these floods. The rivers were already running high after a heat wave sent torrents of melted snow out of the mountains of northern Pakistan and India, when monsoon rain started pounding the country in early July. The taxed rivers pushed beyond their banks. In the top image, The Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab Rivers are all flooded when compared to conditions on June 24, 2005, lower image. The land near the Indian border (upper right corner), where a series of canals link small rivers, appears to be entirely covered with dark blue water. Clouds, which are light blue and white, partially obscure these floods. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that 29 people have died in Pakistan?s Punjab province, the region shown in the images, since the floods began. At least 452,000 people have been affected by the flooding, with farm communities along the Indus River being particularly hard hit. To track these floods, see the daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Afghanistan ] generated by the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Floods in Pakistan
| Title |
Floods in Pakistan |
| Description |
Rivers across Pakistan were grossly swollen on July 21, 2005, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image. A combination of monsoon rains and high temperatures have caused these floods. The rivers were already running high after a heat wave sent torrents of melted snow out of the mountains of northern Pakistan and India, when monsoon rain started pounding the country in early July. The taxed rivers pushed beyond their banks. In the top image, The Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab Rivers are all flooded when compared to conditions on June 24, 2005, lower image. The land near the Indian border (upper right corner), where a series of canals link small rivers, appears to be entirely covered with dark blue water. Clouds, which are light blue and white, partially obscure these floods. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reports that 29 people have died in Pakistan?s Punjab province, the region shown in the images, since the floods began. At least 452,000 people have been affected by the flooding, with farm communities along the Indus River being particularly hard hit. To track these floods, see the daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Afghanistan ] generated by the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Floods in Pakistan
| Title |
Floods in Pakistan |
| Description |
A dual disaster hit Pakistan in the final week of June 2007. On June 23, rare heavy rains and winds swept over much of the country, and three days later, on June 26, Cyclone Yemyin (03B) blew ashore in southern Pakistan. The two storms caused extensive flooding in the country's southwest from the Arabian Sea coast to the border with Afghanistan. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) captured this image of flooding near the Indus River on July 2, 2007. The large image shows additional flooding along the coast. In this type of false-color image, made with infrared and visible light, water is dark blue or black. The lighter blue color in the north is either water-soaked land or mud-laden water. The desert landscape is tan-pink, while cropland near the Indus is green. Clouds are pale blue and white. The lower image, taken on June 23 before the storm moved in, shows normal conditions. The white streak near the right edge of the image is sunlight reflected off the wetlands around the Indus River. In the area shown here, more than 100,000 people were displaced when 800 villages were submerged by floods, said Relief Web. [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Sa.nsf/luFullMap/4B4253F15CBDB7D6C125730F003DC643/$File/rw_FL_pak070705.pdf?OpenElement ] As of July 4, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-74SGLW?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=FF-2007-000082-PAK ] estimated that approximately 300 lives had been lost throughout Pakistan, and 550,000 people had been displaced. You can download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the flooding [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/Archive/Jul2007/pakistan_tmo_2007183.kmz ] and comparison imagery from June 23, suitable for use with Google Earth. [ http://earth.google.com/ ] NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Haze along the Himalaya Fron
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| Title |
Haze along the Himalaya Front Range |
| Description |
This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from the sensor on the Aqua satellite shows different types of aerosols (particles suspended in the atmosphere) over India and Pakistan on December 1, 2004. In the center of the image, the Indus River runs in a sinuous, thick green braid from the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains (top right, hidden by clouds) to the Arabian Sea (bottom left). Backed up against the mountains, a grayish pall is likely human-made particle pollution, from vehicles, energy production, and household heating and cooking fires. At the mouth of the Indus, a tan-colored cloud of aerosols is probably blowing dust from the region?s arid landscapes. To the west of the Indus, a rugged line of mountains separates Pakistan from Afghanistan. The large roan-colored desert is the Margo Desert of southern Afghanistan. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Heat Wave in Pakistan
| Title |
Heat Wave in Pakistan |
| Description |
Six people died and dozens more fell ill as temperatures soared to 47 degrees Celsius (116 Fahrenheit) in central Pakistan on May 21 and 22, 2004. Land temperatures, as measured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, reflected the extreme air temperatures. Afternoon land temperatures are often higher than air temperatures because the land retains heat. In this MODIS image, taken on May 21, the land around the Indus River, the bright red line running from north to south through the center of the image, has reached 67 degrees Celsius (153 Fahrenheit). In the top right corner, the temperature gradient in the Himalaya Mountains might correlate with elevation, as the temperature climbs up the color scale from the frigid, snow-capped peaks (blue) to the hot valleys (red). The pattern is more distinct in the high-resolution image, which shows a larger region to the north, including Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, India, and China at 500 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions, including MODIS' maximum resolution of 250 meters per pixel. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres and Ana Pinheiro, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at GSFC |
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Drought in Central Asia
| Title |
Drought in Central Asia |
| Description |
In July 2006, the government of Afghanistan and the United Nations World Food Program [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/AMMF-6S3BQJ?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=ACOS-635N96 ] issued an appeal for aid as 2.5 million people in northern and western Afghanistan faced imminent food shortages. Spring rains failed, leaving crops normally watered by rainfall dry. By September 2006, Christian Aid [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/AMMF-6TJG6E?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=ACOS-635N96 ] reported that the harvest had failed completely in some of the worst-affected regions. The effect of drought on vegetation in northern Afghanistan was evident in late April and early May 2006, when the data used to create this image were collected. The image shows a vegetation anomaly, how well plants were growing, between April 23 and May 8, 2006, compared to their average growth for the same period during 2001 through 2005. The brown that dominates the image indicates that plants were less healthy than average, while brushes of green show where plants were growing better than average. In Afghanistan, the brown areas are in the north and west, where food shortages were reported. The green areas are located near the Amu Darya River, where farmers are probably less dependant on rainfall because of access to irrigation water. Regions that were covered by clouds throughout the sixteen-day period are grey. The image was created from data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided by Inbal Reshef as part of the Global Agricultural Monitoring Project, [ http://www.pecad.fas.usda.gov/glam.cfm ] a collaboration among NASA, USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), and the University of Maryland. |
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Heat Wave in Pakistan
| Title |
Heat Wave in Pakistan |
| Description |
It was not even officially summer in the Northern Hemisphere, but Pakistan was in the midst of a deadly heat wave when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image on June 10, 2007. The image shows land surface temperatureshow hot the land would feel to the touch. Except for the snow-covered mountain tops in western Pakistan and Afghanistan, land surface temperatures are all on the top end of the scale, as indicated by the prevalence of yellow and warm pink tones in the image. The Indus River is defined by its cooler surface. The vegetation and wetlands surrounding the river are cooler than the sand-and-rock landscape beyond the river valley. Airborne dust [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14300 ] over India masks the hot sands of the Great Indian Desert. The lower image shows land surface temperatures on May 18, 2007, well before the heat wave started. The dark purple regions area the frigid tops of clouds. Compared to May 18, yellow tones cover a much wider area in the June image, indicating how much the land surface had warmed. Land surface temperatures can be warmer or cooler than the air temperatures cited in weather reports. The land takes longer to heat up or cool down than the air. This is why a tile floor is so cold on a chilly winter morning, or why a sandy beach burns your feet on a summer's day. On June 10, air temperatures in parts of Pakistan reached above 50 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit), and this image indicates that ground temperatures climbed to about 70 degrees Celsius (160 Fahrenheit) in rocky desert regions. By June 13, the heat wave had caused 232 heat-related deaths in Pakistan, said news reports, [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LRON-745C6X?OpenDocument ] with additional deaths in neighboring India. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Heat Wave in Pakistan
| Title |
Heat Wave in Pakistan |
| Description |
It was not even officially summer in the Northern Hemisphere, but Pakistan was in the midst of a deadly heat wave when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image on June 10, 2007. The image shows land surface temperatureshow hot the land would feel to the touch. Except for the snow-covered mountain tops in western Pakistan and Afghanistan, land surface temperatures are all on the top end of the scale, as indicated by the prevalence of yellow and warm pink tones in the image. The Indus River is defined by its cooler surface. The vegetation and wetlands surrounding the river are cooler than the sand-and-rock landscape beyond the river valley. Airborne dust [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=14300 ] over India masks the hot sands of the Great Indian Desert. The lower image shows land surface temperatures on May 18, 2007, well before the heat wave started. The dark purple regions area the frigid tops of clouds. Compared to May 18, yellow tones cover a much wider area in the June image, indicating how much the land surface had warmed. Land surface temperatures can be warmer or cooler than the air temperatures cited in weather reports. The land takes longer to heat up or cool down than the air. This is why a tile floor is so cold on a chilly winter morning, or why a sandy beach burns your feet on a summer's day. On June 10, air temperatures in parts of Pakistan reached above 50 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit), and this image indicates that ground temperatures climbed to about 70 degrees Celsius (160 Fahrenheit) in rocky desert regions. By June 13, the heat wave had caused 232 heat-related deaths in Pakistan, said news reports, [ http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LRON-745C6X?OpenDocument ] with additional deaths in neighboring India. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] team. |
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Dust from Southwest Asia ove
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| Title |
Dust from Southwest Asia over Arabian Sea |
| Description |
On May 8, 2005, a veil of dust from the arid landscapes of southern Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan hung over the Arabian Sea. The S-shaped, olive green path of the Indus River in western Pakistan appears washed out beneath the dust. When this image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite, the wind was stirring dust from valley deserts and spreading it southward across the mountainous coastal terrain of Iran (which occupies most of the upper left of the scene) and Pakistan (which occupies most of the upper right). NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
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Dust from Southwest Asia ove
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| Title |
Dust from Southwest Asia over Arabian Sea |
| Description |
On May 8, 2005, a veil of dust from the arid landscapes of southern Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan hung over the Arabian Sea. The S-shaped, olive green path of the Indus River in western Pakistan appears washed out beneath the dust. When this image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite, the wind was stirring dust from valley deserts and spreading it southward across the mountainous coastal terrain of Iran (which occupies most of the upper left of the scene) and Pakistan (which occupies most of the upper right). NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
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Dust in Afghanistan
| Title |
Dust in Afghanistan |
| Description |
Across a wide portion of southwestern Asia, winds were whipping across deserts, sending a froth of dust into the skies on April 8, 2005. The wind raised particularly thick streamers of dust from the surfaces of the Margo Desert in southern Afghanistan and the Thar Desert, which straddles the border between Pakistan and India. Like an atmospheric alter ego of the Indus River, an airborne river of dust flows southward from the Thar Desert and out over the Arabian Sea. This image of the event was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov ] satellite. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC. |
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Dust in the Indus Valley
| Title |
Dust in the Indus Valley |
| Description |
From the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains (upper right) to the east of the broad swath of olive-green vegetation along the Indus River Plain, blowing dust and sand make their own river that flows past the Thar Desert and out over the Arabian Sea (lower left). The winds must be wide-spread and fierce over the region, as pale dust plumes are streaming away from orange-colored deserts in Afghanistan (upper left), as well. This image was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on May 23, 2004. Image by Jesse Allen, based on data from the MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-GSFC |
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Dust over Arabian Sea
| Title |
Dust over Arabian Sea |
| Description |
A dust storm was blowing large quantities of dust out over the Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea on Saturday, December 13, 2003. In this true-color scene, acquired by the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS), the dust storm (light brown pixels) can be seen extending from the the Arabian Peninsula (left) eastward over the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman toward the Arabian Sea. Parts of southern Afghanistan and much of Pakistan are also covered by airborne dust. Further to the east, over northwestern India, there appears to be an extensive plume of another aerosol type. The grayish color of the haze there suggests it is of human origin. Image courtesy SeaWiFS Project, [ http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov ] NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE |
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Dust over Arabian Sea
| Title |
Dust over Arabian Sea |
| Description |
A massive dust storm on December 12, 2003, almost completely obscured large parts of southwest Asia at the time of this image, which was captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite. Thick clouds of tan-colored dust wash over Iran (left), Afghanistan (top right), and Pakistan (bottom right). From Iran, the wave of dust is crashing over the Gulf of Oman, which opens into the Arabian Sea (bottom). The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at additional spatial resolutions, including MODIS? maximum resolution of 250 meters. Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Dust over Much of Western As
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| Title |
Dust over Much of Western Asia |
| Description |
This is a true-color SeaWiFS view of the Middle East and Western Asia showing several dust plumes being blown by stiff winds on March 27, 2002. The most noticeable plumes are at the border between Afghanistan and Turkmenistan border and around what is left of the Aral Sea. The whiter color of the plumes there suggests that they probably contain evaporites from the dried up sea bed. A band of dust or other aerosol is also visible across the southern end of the Caspian Sea in this scene. Image courtesy the SeaWiFS Project, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/redirect?http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html ] NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE |
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Dust over the Arabian Sea
| Title |
Dust over the Arabian Sea |
| Description |
A number of jets of windblown desert dust (light brown plumes) were blowing over the Gulf of Oman (middle left) and the Arabian Sea (bottom center) on May 2, 2003. Originating from the Arabian Peninsula (left) as well as Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (top center and top right, respectively), the dust obscures the surface over much of the region. This image was made using data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensors flying aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites at hours apart on the same day. 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 Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Dust over the Arabian Sea
| Title |
Dust over the Arabian Sea |
| Description |
Dust blowing out of India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan mingled over the Arabian Sea on April 9, 2006. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, a beige plume of dust, shown near the left edge of the picture, pushes southward from Afghanistan, crossing over Pakistan toward the ocean. To the east, another dust plume over the border between India and Pakistan also heads toward the water. Two tendrils of dust merge over the water, just south of the coast. NASA imagery created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained courtesy of the Goddard Earth Sciences DAAC [ http://daac.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ]. |
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Dust Plume over Afghanistan
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| Title |
Dust Plume over Afghanistan and Pakistan |
| Description |
On July 21, 2007, a dust plume several hundred kilometers across swept through Afghanistan and Pakistan, largely missing neighboring Iran. 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 dust appears as a beige swirl over the arid landscape. A break in the plume allows a relatively clear view of the land surface along the border between southern Afghanistan and Pakistan. Otherwise, dust obscures much of the view, although the dust thins somewhat in the southeast. Although dust mostly misses Iran, at least some of the storm appears to originate along the Iran-Afghanistan border. Source points for the storm appear in an area known as the Hamoun wetlands, once an oasis for people and wildlife. By the start of the twenty-first century, a combination of expanded irrigation and severe drought had sucked the region dry, and winds that had once been cooled by wetland water began blowing dust. The pale color of this dust plume is consistent with that of dried wetland soils. For more information on the Hamoun wetlands, see the Earth Observatory feature story From Wetland to Wasteland. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/hamoun/ ] NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Dust Storm in Afghanistan an
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| Title |
Dust Storm in Afghanistan and Pakistan |
| Description |
Dust hung over the deserts of southern Afghanistan and western Pakistan on September 16, 2004. The Sea-viewing Wide Field of View Sensor (SeaWiFS [ http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html ]) captured this oblique view of the dust storm at 8:00 UTC, 1 p.m. in Karachi, Pakistan. To the right of the dust storm, a green ribbon of vegetation lines the Indus River as it runs down the length of Pakistan into the Arabian Sea. Image provided by the SeaWiFS [ http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html ] Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE |
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Dust Storm in Pakistan
| Title |
Dust Storm in Pakistan |
| Description |
A thin veil of white dust blurs the shorelines of Iran and Pakistan in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] (MODIS) image. The image, taken on November 23, 2003, by the Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, shows blowing dust from the deserts and dry lakes in Iran (left), Pakistan (right), and Afghanistan (upper right in the high resolution image). The most obvious plumes are over the Persian Gulf, left, and the Gulf of Oman, right. In addition to the dust over the water, the high resolution image shows dust storms in Northern Pakistan?s Hamun-i-Mashkel and Afghanistan?s Gowd-e-Zereh, both dry lake beds. The high-resolution image provided above is at MODIS?s maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters per pixel. The image is available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2003327-1123/Pakistan.A2003327.0905 ]. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Dust Storm in Pakistan
| Title |
Dust Storm in Pakistan |
| Description |
Thick streamers of dust blew out of Pakistan on December 19, 2004. The dust storm appears to be originating near the base of the Chagai Hills near the border with Afghanistan and to the south in the hilly coastland between the Makran Coast Range and the Arabian Sea. This true-color image was acquired on December 19, 2004 by NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. The large image provided above has a resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides the image in additional resolutions. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Dust Storm in Southwest Asia
| Title |
Dust Storm in Southwest Asia |
| Description |
On November 14, 2007, a dust storm swept over the borders of Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Afghanistan. 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. In this image, the dust is so thick that it completely obscures the landscape below with a beige blur. Only grazing Turkmenistan, the dust storm concentrates the other countries. Along its northern and western boundaries, the storm's shape is indistinct, but in the southeast, near the mountains, the dust storm mimics the mountain valleys it occupies. The distinct shape of the storm in the southeast indicates that the dust particles do not reach high enough into the atmosphere to crest the mountaintops. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Dust Storm over Afghanistan
| Title |
Dust Storm over Afghanistan |
| Description |
On August 17, 2004, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), aboard NASA?s Terra satellite, observed a large plume of dust blowing out of the Sistan Basin and fanning out over a large portion of southern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. Once a lush oasis spanning more than 2,000 square kilometers (800 square miles), the Hamoun Wetlands [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/hamoun/ ] were a major source of food and shelter for the people of Central Asia. Within the last decade, however, human mismanagement of the rivers feeding the once fertile wetlands has converted them mostly into salt flats?desiccated and almost devoid of life. The light sediment that once rested on the bottom of the Hamoun?s marshes now lies exposed to sun and wind. The frequent strong winds blowing through the region easily scoop up the dried silt and carry it aloft for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers. Such dust storms appear to be increasing in frequency and severity as residents in southern Afghanistan report that, during the last several years, the skies overhead have been the dustiest in living memory. The solid black line in this scene shows the border between the countries of Iran (to the left), Afghanistan (top), and Pakistan (bottom right). North in this image is toward the top. The high-resolution copy available here is 250 meters per pixel. There are also additional resolutions available. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Dust Storm over Afghanistan
| Title |
Dust Storm over Afghanistan |
| Description |
On August 12, 2007, a dust storm formed where the borders of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan meet. 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. This image shows the pale beige plumes of dust sweeping from the northwest in a counter-clockwise direction. The image also shows some of the source points for the plumes. From source points along the Iran-Afghanistan border, the storm covers part of northern Pakistan. 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/?Afghanistan/ ] of this region. |
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Dust Storm over Afghanistan
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| Title |
Dust Storm over Afghanistan and Pakistan |
| Description |
Across the dark brown ridges and rock formations of southern Afghanistan (top), Iran (left) and Pakistan (bottom right) streamers of pale dust swirl over the arid terrain in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from August 20, 2003, from the Terra satellite. 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, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Dust Storm over Afghanistan
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| 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, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Dust Storm over Afghanistan
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| Title |
Dust Storm over Afghanistan and Pakistan |
| Description |
The brown and tan landscape of deserts and rugged mountains in southern Afghanistan (top), northwest Pakistan (below), and southeastern Iran (left) may seem devoid of human presence, even moon-like. But tens of thousands of people do live in this region, and they have been suffering through months of devastating sandstorms like the one pictured blowing across the center of this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from September 23, 2003. The image shows the green vegetation growing along the banks of the Helmand River, which flows toward the center of the scene from top right. The river brings life-giving water to portions of the Margo Desert (center). 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, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC |
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Dust Storm over Afghanistan
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| Title |
Dust Storm over Afghanistan and Pakistan |
| Description |
A white veil of dust had settled over the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea on October 8, 2004, when the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor aboard the OrbView-2 satellite captured this image. The dust is blowing out of the dried Hamoun Wetlands in the Sistan Basin straddling the Afghanistan/Iran border. Most of the dust is trapped in southwestern Afghanistan and northern Pakistan by the Central Makran Mountains, though some has escaped through river valleys and is blowing over the sea. The verdant green strip running down the right edge of the image is formed by the Indus River and the agricultural land it supports. NASA images courtesy the SeaWiFS Project [ http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html ], NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE [ http://www.orbimage.com/ ]. |
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Dust Storm over Afghanistan
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| Title |
Dust Storm over Afghanistan and Pakistan |
| Description |
Prolonged and severe drought has taken its toll on the once vital HamounWetlands in southwestern Afghanistan and eastern Iran. Formerly a green oasis for over half a million birds, the wetlands are now a desert tan in this image, acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite. According to the United Nations Environment Program [ http://www.grid.unep.ch/activities/global_change/sistan.php ] (UNEP), the Helmand River, which feeds the wetlands, had been running up to 98 percent below its annual average during the past six years of drought. Decades of conflict and poor water management have also contributed to the withering of the wetlands. In 2003, the UNEP reported that 99 percent of the wetlands had dried up. The newly exposed silt is easily picked up on the wind, and dust storms frequently sweep through the Sistan Basin where the wetlands were located. On October 7, 2004, MODIS observed one such storm blanketing much of southern Afghanistan and part of Pakistan with a thick cloud of tan dust. To learn more, please read, "From Wetland to Wasteland." [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/hamoun/ ] The high-resolution copy available above is 250 meters per pixel. Additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004281-1007/Pakistan.A2004281.0650 ] are also available. NASA image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response team, Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Dust Storm over Southern Asi
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| Title |
Dust Storm over Southern Asia |
| Description |
A new and massive dust storm (light brown) erupted out of the Sistan Basin straddling the border between Iran and Afghanistan on April 29, 2004. The dust blew southward and spread out over a wide area, covering most of southern Afghanistan and western Pakistan. (The borders between those countries are traced here in black.) The dust can be seen here extending well out over the Arabian Sea (bottom). For more than five millennia, the Sistan Basin served as a cradle for life in what was once a 2,000-square-km (800-square-mile) wetland ecosystem known as the Hamoun Wetlands. Fed mainly by the springtime meltwater running off the mountains to the north and coursing through the Helmand River, the Hamoun Wetlands were replenished every year so that for thousands of years the region was an abundant source of fish, game, and fresh water for farming. But with unprecedented population growth in the region throughout the 20th century, coupled with a relatively sudden and dramatic increase in irrigation off of the Helmand River, the Hamoun Wetlands have almost completely dried up within the last 5 years. What was once a lush ecosystem teeming with life has been replaced by a mostly lifeless salt pan. (For more details, please read From Wetland to Wasteland. [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/hamoun/ ]) The light, silty lakefloor is now vulnerable to the intense heat and strong winds often experienced in this region that, in recent years, have been generating some very impressive dust storms that appear to be increasing in both frequency and severity. This true-color image was captured on April 29, 2004, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite. The high-resolution copy available here is 500 meters per pixel. Additional resolution [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/?2004120-0429/Pakistan.A2004120.0915 ] copies of this image are also available. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC |
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Dust Storm over Turkmenistan
| Title |
Dust Storm over Turkmenistan |
| Description |
On January 29, 2007, a dust storm blew northward across Turkmenistan toward Uzbekistan. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ] on NASA's Aqua [ http://aqua.nasa.gov ] satellite took this picture the same day. This image shows multiple sources for the dust in both Iran and Afghanistan. As sand covers much of Turkmenistan, however, dust could also have been picked up there, and just been hidden under the plume. Mixed with the dust plume are clouds, which fringe it on both the east and west. The clouds could be associated with the same weather system that kicked up the dust. Smoke probably also mixes with the dust plume in this picture, as MODIS detected a cluster of hotspots (outlined in red) in southern Turkmenistan, along with a few more along the Uzbekistan border. These hotspots show where the satellite detected anomalously warm surface temperatures, usually associated with fires. In the south, where skies are fairly clear of dust and clouds, patches of pale green appear along the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan border. Otherwise, vegetation is scarce in this arid region. NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] Goddard Space Flight Center. |
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Massive Dust Storm in Pakist
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| Title |
Massive Dust Storm in Pakistan |
| Description |
This true-color image centered over southwestern Pakistan shows a massive dust storm (tan pixels) filling the skies over much of the region. The black lines indicate Pakistan's borders with its neighbors Iran, to the west, and Afghanistan, to the north. The bright white patches are clouds. This image was acquired on June 7, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite. 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 Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Snow in Afghanistan
| Title |
Snow in Afghanistan |
| Description |
Snow is not unusual in Afghanistan, in fact, a deep snow pack is necessary if the country is to have water during the dry summer months. But January 2006 hit the Central Asian country harder than normal. Heavy snow and extreme cold destroyed or damaged at least 86 homes and killed 17 people with twice as many more injured, reported the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Much of the damage occurred after a blizzard hit the northernmost provinces particularly hard on January 31. On February 3, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured this clear view of Afghanistan covered in snow. In addition to covering the rugged mountains that run down the spine of the country, the snow stretches across the populated northern plains where the damage was reported. Despite the problems the January 2006 storms caused, Afghanistan needs its winter snow. Like the U.S. West, water during the summer comes from the melting snow pack in the mountains. Without the snow, farmers would have no way to irrigate summer crops. The snow is such an essential ingredient to the success of crops in Afghanistan that the Famine Early Warning Network (FEWS NET) monitors snow cover to gauge the potential need for food aid after the next growing season and harvest. MODIS images such as this one help analysts at FEWS NET determine the extent of snow cover in Afghanistan. Knowing how much snow is in the mountains can reveal how much water will be available for crops during the next summer. If insufficient snow falls during the winter, FEWS NET can issue a warning to aid agencies and the government to alert them to the potential crop failure and a possible future need for food aid. The advanced warning gives agencies and the government time to gather the resources needed to respond before the disaster becomes critical. To read more, see Aiding Afghanistan [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Afghanistan/ ] on the Earth Observatory.Daily MODIS images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Afghanistan/2006034 ] of Afghanistan are available from the MODIS Rapid Response Team. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Snow in the Hindu Kush
| Title |
Snow in the Hindu Kush |
| Description |
Winter settled heavily over the Hindu Kush, the mountains that curve through Afghanistan and cut into Pakistan and Tajikistan. Northern Pakistan saw it?s heaviest snowfall in 30 years, the worst of it coming during the first two weeks of February. The heavy snow has devastated all three countries, literally crushing houses and buildings and burying communities in avalanches. Tajikistan alone experienced more than 100 avalanches in populated regions after two meters of snow fell in the mountains. Officials in northern Pakistan report that 270 have died in the snowfall and avalanches, and nearly as many more have been injured. Deaths in Afghanistan have been attributed to extreme cold and related illnesses. This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) image, acquired on February 16, 2005, by NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite, shows the extensive snowfall across southwest Asia. The image is in false color to differentiate between cloud and snow, with snow in dark red and clouds in lighter orange. Vegetation is dark green, while bare desert soil is blue-green. Clouds still blanket northern Pakistan where the storm rages on. Tajikistan is entirely covered in snow, and the central mountainous region of Afghanistan is similarly blanketed in snow. The widespread snow has cut off many of the regions in need of aid, particularly in Afghanistan, where food shortages have driven up prices in areas where food was already scarce. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Snow in the Hindu Kush
| Title |
Snow in the Hindu Kush |
| Description |
The most severe winter to hit southwest Asia in decades has cost hundreds of lives in Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. Heavy snow continues to fall over the Himalaya Mountains in both Indian-administered and Pakistan-administered Kashmir and in the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan. As the above image shows, both mountains and valleys are buried in snow across the region, with the exception of the Indus River valley in Pakistan. The snow has isolated many communities, stranding them without access to food supplies. Most of the deaths, however, have occurred as people have been trapped under avalanches in the steep mountains. At least 230 people died in Indian-administered Kashmir, many of them in a series of avalanches near the capital, Srinagar, where 4.5 meters (15 feet) of snow has fallen. When the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite acquired this image on February 22, 2005, the clouds had cleared and the sun shone over Kashmir. Low cloud, slightly smoother and duller white than snow, fills the valley around Srinagar. In the high mountains exposed to the sun, the avalanche hazard could increase as melting snow becomes unstable. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team. |
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Southwest Asia Dust Storm
| Title |
Southwest Asia Dust Storm |
| Description |
A large dust storm (tan pixels) originating from the Sistan Basin, [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/hamoun/ ] in western Afghanistan, continues to fill the skies over a large portion of southwestern Asia. The dust obscures much of Pakistan?s southern coast in this true-color image. This scene was acquired on June 15, 2004, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA?s Terra satellite. The high-resolution image available here is 250 meters per pixel. NASA image by Jesse Allen, using data courtesy MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA?s Goddard Space Flight Center |
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Strong Earthquake in Norther
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| Title |
Strong Earthquake in Northern Pakistan |
| Description |
At 8:50 a.m. on October 8, 2005, a powerful earthquake rattled northern Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. Centered in northern Pakistan, the 7.6 quake flattened nearby cities, causing an estimated 41,000 deaths and leaving millions homeless, according to news reports. The massive quake was followed by dozens of strong aftershocks, most of which were larger than 5.0 on the Richter scale. The geologic forces that triggered the powerful quakes also shaped the rugged, mountainous region shown in this Landsat image. Geology in northern Pakistan and India is controlled by the motion of the Indian subcontinent as it is shoved under the Asian continent at a rate of about 40 millimeters (1.6 inches) per year. As the continents collide, they push up the highest mountain ranges on the planet: the Himalaya, the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram, and the Pamir. The friction also breaks the Earth's solid surface into an intricate series of faults. Like the spidery veins that radiate from a crack in glass, the faults are connected, but are sometimes hard to trace. As the piece of the Earth's crust on which India sits moves, tension builds in the faults. Eventually, the faults slip, releasing their tension and giving vent to an earthquake. As the tension is redistributed, the ground shakes along adjoining faults or along other sections of the same fault in a series of aftershocks. In this image, the boundary between the Indian plate and the Asian plate is traced in red. The boundary is not a neat line, as the image depicts, but rather a broad region where the two continents meet. The boundary is equally well-defined by the location of the earthquake, red circle, and its aftershocks, white circles, which are clustered along the edge of the plate. To the south of the earthquake is a large local fault system. Landsat took the image on October 7, 2001. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the University of Maryland's Global Land Cover Facility. |
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Strong Earthquake in Norther
…
| Title |
Strong Earthquake in Northern Pakistan |
| Description |
At 8:50 a.m. on October 8, 2005, a powerful earthquake rattled northern Pakistan, India, and Afghanistan. Centered in northern Pakistan, the 7.6 quake flattened nearby cities, causing an estimated 41,000 deaths and leaving millions homeless, according to news reports. The massive quake was followed by dozens of strong aftershocks, most of which were larger than 5.0 on the Richter scale. The geologic forces that triggered the powerful quakes also shaped the rugged, mountainous region shown in this Landsat image. Geology in northern Pakistan and India is controlled by the motion of the Indian subcontinent as it is shoved under the Asian continent at a rate of about 40 millimeters (1.6 inches) per year. As the continents collide, they push up the highest mountain ranges on the planet: the Himalaya, the Hindu Kush, the Karakoram, and the Pamir. The friction also breaks the Earth's solid surface into an intricate series of faults. Like the spidery veins that radiate from a crack in glass, the faults are connected, but are sometimes hard to trace. As the piece of the Earth's crust on which India sits moves, tension builds in the faults. Eventually, the faults slip, releasing their tension and giving vent to an earthquake. As the tension is redistributed, the ground shakes along adjoining faults or along other sections of the same fault in a series of aftershocks. In this image, the boundary between the Indian plate and the Asian plate is traced in red. The boundary is not a neat line, as the image depicts, but rather a broad region where the two continents meet. The boundary is equally well-defined by the location of the earthquake, red circle, and its aftershocks, white circles, which are clustered along the edge of the plate. To the south of the earthquake is a large local fault system. Landsat took the image on October 7, 2001. NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the University of Maryland's Global Land Cover Facility. |
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Flooding in Afghanistan
| Title |
Flooding in Afghanistan |
| Description |
In mid-April 2003, heavy rains in Afghanistan led to floods that killed 30 people and displaced hundreds. The floodwaters can be seen in this false-color image (right) acquired on April 22, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA?s Aqua spacecraft. The most devastating floods occurred in southern Afghanistan in the Helmand province along the Helmand River. Earlier in the month (left, acquired by MODIS Aqua on April 4, 2003), there was much less standing water in southern Afghanistan. And the Helmand River, which can be seen winding its way up from the bottom of April 22 image, is hardly visible on April 4. In this false-color image, water is blue. Clouds appear as pale blue and white, vegetated land is green and arid land is tan. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Flooding in Afghanistan
| Title |
Flooding in Afghanistan |
| Description |
In mid-April 2003, heavy rains in Afghanistan led to floods that killed 30 people and displaced hundreds. The floodwaters can be seen in this false-color image (right) acquired on April 22, 2003, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA?s Aqua spacecraft. The most devastating floods occurred in southern Afghanistan in the Helmand province along the Helmand River. Earlier in the month (left, acquired by MODIS Aqua on April 4, 2003), there was much less standing water in southern Afghanistan. And the Helmand River, which can be seen winding its way up from the bottom of April 22 image, is hardly visible on April 4. In this false-color image, water is blue. Clouds appear as pale blue and white, vegetated land is green and arid land is tan. Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
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Floods in Afghanistan
| Title |
Floods in Afghanistan |
| Description |
Already bracing for severe floods after the most arduous winter in a decade, Afghanistan has been flooded by heavy rains. The saltpan plainsonce the Sistan Wetlandsof western Afghanistan and eastern Iran are filling with water. In the two week period that passed between February 21, and March 7, 2005, this border region went from arid plain to water-soaked wetlands. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the floods have killed three people and destroyed about 300 houses in Afghanistan. Officials fear that flooding could intensify as temperatures rise and winter's snow [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12717 ] begins to melt. The Sistan Wetlands have been steadily drying out in the grip of an extended drought that started in 1998. (See "From Wetland to Wasteland" [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/hamoun/ ]) The former extent of the wetlands is visible in the lower image, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua satellite on February 21. Evaporating water left white salt flats, which are a lighter shade of tan in this image. The top image, taken by MODIS on the Terra satellite, shows that flood waters have filled the depressions left by the former wetlands. The images are shown in false color and combine both near infrared and visible light. In this color combination, the tan desert soil has a slightly pink tint, clouds are light blue, plant-covered regions are bright green, and clear water is black. Because dirt scatters light, it colors the water blue. Clearer, deeper water is a dark shade of blue, while shallow, mud-laden water is lighter blue. Beyond causing wide-spread floods, the rain has spurred plant growth, particularly in Iran, where the wetlands are considerably greener on March 7. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The images are available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Afghanistan/2005066 ]. |
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Floods in Afghanistan
| Title |
Floods in Afghanistan |
| Description |
Already bracing for severe floods after the most arduous winter in a decade, Afghanistan has been flooded by heavy rains. The saltpan plainsonce the Sistan Wetlandsof western Afghanistan and eastern Iran are filling with water. In the two week period that passed between February 21, and March 7, 2005, this border region went from arid plain to water-soaked wetlands. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), the floods have killed three people and destroyed about 300 houses in Afghanistan. Officials fear that flooding could intensify as temperatures rise and winter's snow [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/natural_hazards_v2.php3?img_id=12717 ] begins to melt. The Sistan Wetlands have been steadily drying out in the grip of an extended drought that started in 1998. (See "From Wetland to Wasteland" [ http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/hamoun/ ]) The former extent of the wetlands is visible in the lower image, taken by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA's Aqua satellite on February 21. Evaporating water left white salt flats, which are a lighter shade of tan in this image. The top image, taken by MODIS on the Terra satellite, shows that flood waters have filled the depressions left by the former wetlands. The images are shown in false color and combine both near infrared and visible light. In this color combination, the tan desert soil has a slightly pink tint, clouds are light blue, plant-covered regions are bright green, and clear water is black. Because dirt scatters light, it colors the water blue. Clearer, deeper water is a dark shade of blue, while shallow, mud-laden water is lighter blue. Beyond causing wide-spread floods, the rain has spurred plant growth, particularly in Iran, where the wetlands are considerably greener on March 7. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The images are available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Afghanistan/2005066 ]. |
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Floods in Afghanistan
| Title |
Floods in Afghanistan |
| Description |
*Floods in Afghanistan* After a harsh winter in which more than 300 died in the extreme cold and heavy snow, spring is finally coming to Afghanistan. As welcome as the warmer temperatures might be, the change of the season has also brought additional catastrophe to the country. Both rain and melting snow have trigged widespread flooding in Afghanistan?s central mountains and western provinces. Multiple media reports say that more than 200 have died in the floods. On March 22, 2005, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite caught a cloud-free view of the flooded regions. The image, shown above in false color to highlight the presence of water, reveals water throughout the deserts of western Afghanistan. Clear, deep water is darker blue, while shallow, mud-laden water is lighter blue. In contrast to the lower image acquired on February 20, splotches of blue in varying shades cover the region, particularly near the Iranian border. It is not difficult to see where the additional water came from?the snow that blanketed central Afghanistan on February 20 (shown in light blue) had largely melted by March 22. To date, the largest loss of life has occurred along the Helmand River, which runs through the center of the image. A faint blue line of water (more easily visible in the large image) shows that more water fills the river than on February 20, when the river was defined only by the green vegetation that lines its banks. Additional damage has been incurred in the region around the Sistan Wetlands, where water is filling the saltpans left by the desiccated wetland. Further signs of flooding are reflected in the plants that are springing up in response to warmer temperatures and the spring run-off. By March 22, brushes of green vegetation are scattered across the landscape. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. Both images are available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Afghanistan/2005081 ]. |
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Floods in Afghanistan
| Title |
Floods in Afghanistan |
| Description |
*Floods in Afghanistan* After a harsh winter in which more than 300 died in the extreme cold and heavy snow, spring is finally coming to Afghanistan. As welcome as the warmer temperatures might be, the change of the season has also brought additional catastrophe to the country. Both rain and melting snow have trigged widespread flooding in Afghanistan?s central mountains and western provinces. Multiple media reports say that more than 200 have died in the floods. On March 22, 2005, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite caught a cloud-free view of the flooded regions. The image, shown above in false color to highlight the presence of water, reveals water throughout the deserts of western Afghanistan. Clear, deep water is darker blue, while shallow, mud-laden water is lighter blue. In contrast to the lower image acquired on February 20, splotches of blue in varying shades cover the region, particularly near the Iranian border. It is not difficult to see where the additional water came from?the snow that blanketed central Afghanistan on February 20 (shown in light blue) had largely melted by March 22. To date, the largest loss of life has occurred along the Helmand River, which runs through the center of the image. A faint blue line of water (more easily visible in the large image) shows that more water fills the river than on February 20, when the river was defined only by the green vegetation that lines its banks. Additional damage has been incurred in the region around the Sistan Wetlands, where water is filling the saltpans left by the desiccated wetland. Further signs of flooding are reflected in the plants that are springing up in response to warmer temperatures and the spring run-off. By March 22, brushes of green vegetation are scattered across the landscape. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. Both images are available in additional resolutions [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Afghanistan/2005081 ]. |
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Floods in Afghanistan
| Title |
Floods in Afghanistan |
| Description |
Severe storms starting on June 16, 2005, have flooded much of northern Afghanistan, killing 48 people, the government reports. On June 20, 2005, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the region showing several rivers running high. Compared to May 21, 2005, the Amu Darya is fat with flood water. The green web of agricultural land around the Vakhsh River is darkened with water, and the lower reaches of the Darya-ye Kondoz spread across the landscape. These false-color images highlight the presence of water. Water is dark blue or black, but takes on a lighter shade of blue when it is mixed with sediment. In the lower right corner of both images, the Hindu Kush Mountains are capped with snow, which is bright blue in this color combination. Vegetation is bright green. More than twenty years of war have left Afghanistan prone to floods. The irrigation and reservoir infrastructures that might otherwise control flood water have been destroyed, leaving the country vulnerable when storms or melting snow tax the river systems. The large images provided above have a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Afghanistan ] of Afghanistan in multiple resolutions and band (color) combinations, including the photo-like true color combination. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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Floods in Afghanistan
| Title |
Floods in Afghanistan |
| Description |
Severe storms starting on June 16, 2005, have flooded much of northern Afghanistan, killing 48 people, the government reports. On June 20, 2005, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) on NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite captured the top image of the region showing several rivers running high. Compared to May 21, 2005, the Amu Darya is fat with flood water. The green web of agricultural land around the Vakhsh River is darkened with water, and the lower reaches of the Darya-ye Kondoz spread across the landscape. These false-color images highlight the presence of water. Water is dark blue or black, but takes on a lighter shade of blue when it is mixed with sediment. In the lower right corner of both images, the Hindu Kush Mountains are capped with snow, which is bright blue in this color combination. Vegetation is bright green. More than twenty years of war have left Afghanistan prone to floods. The irrigation and reservoir infrastructures that might otherwise control flood water have been destroyed, leaving the country vulnerable when storms or melting snow tax the river systems. The large images provided above have a spatial resolution of 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response Team provides daily images [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Afghanistan ] of Afghanistan in multiple resolutions and band (color) combinations, including the photo-like true color combination. NASA images courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. |
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