January 15, 2023 - Massive Dust Event in Afghanistan and Pakistan

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A massive dust storm was blanketing much of Pakistan and Afghanistan on
January 11, 2023 when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer
(MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of
the event.

The majority of the light-colored dust poured from the Sistan Basin,
Afghanistan along the border with Iran. For thousands of years, the
Sistan Basin held a large, rich oasis known as the Hamoun Wetlands. The
wetlands were fed by the Helmand River, creating a supremely biodiverse
ecosystem that sustained agriculture, game, fishing, and more than 225
species of bird—including several endemic, threatened and endangered
species.

During the 20th century, rapid population growth and aggressive use of
the water of the Helmand River for irrigated farming led to a dramatic
shrinking of the Hamoun Wetlands. What was once a lush a
2,000-square-km (800-square-mile) wetland ecosystem teeming with life
has been replaced by a mostly lifeless salt pan. The light, silty lake
floor is now vulnerable to the intense heat and strong winds often
experienced in this region and has become a source of extreme dust
storms across the region.

This particular dust storm stretched from the Hamoun Wetlands, across
Pakistan, over the Arabian Sea to Gujrat, India. Most of Iran (west
side of the image) remained dust-free.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 1/12/2023
Resolutions: 1km (898.5 KB), 500m (2.2 MB), 250m (1.5 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-01-15

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