October 27, 2013 - Dust storm in northern Iraq

Dust storm in northern Iraq

On October 18, 2013 a heavy dust storm continued to blow across the Middle East. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this true-color image of the sandy event at 09:50 UTC (12:50 p.m. Arabia Standard Time) that same day.

The thickest band of tan-colored dust covers northern Iraq, obscuring the land from view. Heavy dust can also be seen blowing from the northwest, covering southern Turkey, traveling across Syria and layered over much of Iraq. The dust begins to thin over Therthar Lake and continues to veil the skies across the Euphrates River Valley. In the northwest section of the image, clouds can be seen, suggesting that the dust-lofting winds may be the result of an incoming frontal system.

A previous image from the region was captured by the Aqua satellite on October 17. To view this comparison image of the dynamic event, go to http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2013-10-17 .

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 10/18/2013
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC