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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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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 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 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
…
| 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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Massive Dust Storm in Pakist
…
| 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 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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Winter Storm Hits Pakistan a
…
| Title |
Winter Storm Hits Pakistan and Afghanistan |
| Description |
A wave of cold weather, heavy rain, and snow crippled much of Pakistan and Afghanistan on January 1 and 2, 2005, as floods and ice combined to close roads and hinder travel. The storm has claimed at least ten lives in Pakistan, according to local news reports. After the storm passed, the high mountains of northern Pakistan and most of Afghanistan were covered in a blanket of snow. Even the Chagai Hills of southwestern Pakistan are coated with snow in this Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS [ http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov ]) image, acquired by NASA?s Terra [ http://terra.nasa.gov/ ] satellite on January 3, 2005. As in many regions of the world, snowfall in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan is crucial in recharging the water supply, which is fed by melting snow. NAS A image courtesy the MODIS Land Rapid Response Team [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov ] at NASA GSFC. The image is available in additional resolutions. [ http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?Afghanistan/2005003/Afghanistan.2005003.terra ] |
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Dust over the Gulf of Oman a
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Dust plumes blew from Afghan
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arsea_tmo_2007266
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-09-23 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
arsea_tmo_2007266 |
|
Floods in Pakistan: Natural
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
* eoimages.gsfc.nasa.gov/ima
…
pakistan_tmo_2007183
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-07-02 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
pakistan_tmo_2007183 |
|
Dust Storm over Afghanistan
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Sandstorms that have been sc
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Afghanistan.TMOA2003205
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
July 24, 2003 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Afghanistan.TMOA2003205 |
|
Dust Plume over Afghanistan
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On July 21, 2007, a dust plu
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afpk_tmo_2007202
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-07-21 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
afpk_tmo_2007202 |
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Dust Storm in Pakistan: Natu
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
A thin veil of white dust bl
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Pakistan.AMO2003327
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-11-23 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
Pakistan.AMO2003327 |
|
Dust Storm over Afghanistan:
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
On August 12, 2007, a dust s
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afgh_tmo_2007224
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2007-08-12 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
afgh_tmo_2007224 |
|
Dust over the Hamoun Wetland
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Straddling the borders of Ir
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ge_19981
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-05-18 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_19981 |
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Dust over the Hamoun Wetland
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Straddling the borders of Ir
…
ge_19981
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-05-18 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
ge_19981 |
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Dust Storms over the Middle
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Dust plumes lingered over th
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arabia_tmo_2008053
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-02-22 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
arabia_tmo_2008053 |
|
Dust Over the Arabian Sea: I
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nasa, nasaimageofthedaygalle
…
A dust storm was blowing lar
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ArabianDust_OSE2003347
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2003-12-13 |
| creator |
NASA -- Image courtesy seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov SeaWiFS Project, NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, and ORBIMAGE |
| identifier |
ArabianDust_OSE2003347 |
|
Dust Storm over Southwestern
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nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Two days after forming over
…
stan_amo_2008181
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-06-29 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
stan_amo_2008181 |
|
Dust Storms over the Middle
…
nasa, nasanaturalhazards
Although common during the s
…
iran_tmo_2008052
| mediatype |
IMAGE |
| mediatype |
image |
| date |
2008-02-21 |
| creator |
NASA -- NASA Image Of The Day |
| identifier |
iran_tmo_2008052 |
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