Dust Plumes off Mexico

Dust plumes blew over the Gulf of California and the Pacific Ocean in early February 2011. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on February 3.

A dust plume blows over the water northwest of the coastal town of Guaymas, and the green tint to the water below the plume might result at least partly from dust landing in the water. Off the coast of Baja, a large plume and multiple smaller plumes blow out over the Pacific.

The earth-toned landscapes visible in this image hint at the aridity that could give rise to dust. Sand seas, which provide ample material for dust storms, occur along parts of Baja, California.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Published February 7, 2011
Data acquired February 3, 2011

Source:

Aqua > MODIS