Dust stirred over Iraq in early March 2011. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on March 3, 2011.
Arising from multiple source points along the Iraq-Syria border, dust blows toward the southeast, stopping just short of Baghdad. Both the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers flow through Iraq, and the fine sediments of these river basins provide ample material for dust storms in the region. East of the dust storm, red outlines show areas where MODIS has detected unusually high surface temperatures, perhaps resulting from agricultural fires or wildfires.
NASA image created by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.
