12 June 2011
Dust over Iraq
This is a Terra satellite image of the dust storm that swirled in Iraq, on 2 June.
Credit: NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
On 2 June 2011, a dense dust storm blew over Iraq, stopping near Iranian and Kuwaiti borders. The same day, NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of the storm.
The thick dust obscured most of Iraq, and was shaped like a huge beige arc. At least, some of the storm appears to arise from Syria, where sandy desert extends over the landscape, on either side of the Euphrates River. Dust also arose east of the Syria-Iraq border.
High summer temperatures increase the probability of occurrence of dust storms. They make the air near the ground unstable, increasing the chance that even a light breeze will carry dust into the air.
References
Dust Storm over Iraq
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/view.php?id=50808
Aymen Mohamed Ibrahem
Senior Astronomy Specialist