A pale gray ribbon of haze snakes along the front of the Himalaya Mountains in northern India in this photo-like image, captured by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite on December 16, 2006. The haze travels east along the path of the Ganges River and pours out over the Bay of Bengal.
Atmospheric pressure combined with geology often trap haze at the base of the Himalaya Mountains. India’s rapid industrialization has clearly played a role in producing so much haze. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in December 2006, the pollution dims incoming sunlight and reduces rainfall, both of which reduce India’s rice harvest.
You can also download a 250-meter-resolution KMZ file of the haze along the front of the Himalaya for use with Google Earth.
NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data provided courtesy of the MODIS Rapid Response team.
