October 9, 2013 - Haze over eastern China

Haze over eastern China

Eastern China was shrouded by a thick haze in the closing days of September, 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image at 5:20 UTC (1:20 EDT) on September 28.

A broad gray band of haze stretches hundreds of kilometers from east to west, settling extremely thickly in the valleys, particularly over the Yellow River, and on the lowlands north of the Bohai Sea. Beijing, in the northeast corner of the image, appears to be completely obscured from view. Fires dot the region, and the smoke from these fires, which are mostly likely agricultural in origin, contribute to the haze.

A heavy cloud bank can be seen to the southeast. This bank of clouds is likely associated with Typhoon Wutip, which was circulating in the South China Sea on this day, and rapidly approaching Vietnam.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 9/28/2013
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC