Dust storm in Bodele Depression, Chad (afternoon overpass)

On October 16, 2005, NASA caught a dust storm in the act—twice. A large dust storm over Chad became visible in the morning, and grew throughout the day. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying onboard the Terra satellite captured the morning image, and MODIS on the Aqua satellite captured the afternoon image.

In these images, the dust storm appears in pale beige, partially obscuring the darker land surface. In both images, the dust storm consists of two major swaths with a more diffuse area between them. The dust is blowing from the Bodele Depression, the dried up bed of an ancient lake. The images testify to the frequency of storms from the depression. A close look at the imagery shows faint lines like those that a rake leaves in soil; over time, recurring dust storms have scoured the landscape.

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Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published October 19, 2005
Data acquired October 16, 2005

Source:

Aqua > MODIS

Collections:

MODIS Rapid Response

Visible Earth