Images
July 20, 2020 - Dust Plumes off Southwest Africa
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Strong winds swept plumes of dust from the southwestern coast of Africa in mid-July 2020. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the multiple dust storms on July 16.
Strong, hot winds known as “berg winds” (mountain winds) blow from the inland mountains out to the sea in the fall on winter off of the coasts of southern Africa. Roughly equivalent of Santa Ana winds in California, berg winds are well-known for their ability to loft large plumes of dust from the Namib Desert and other dry spots, carrying the dust over the Atlantic Ocean.
On this date, the heaviest dust blew over Walvis Bay, Namibia in the north and from the mountain edges south of the Orange River in South Africa. Smaller tan plumes can be seen spanning the entire region, including light tan plumes that pass across the orange sands of the Namib Desert’s great Sand Sea.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 7/16/2020
Resolutions:
1km (344.6 KB), 500m (1.1 MB), 250m (2.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Strong winds swept plumes of dust from the southwestern coast of Africa in mid-July 2020. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the multiple dust storms on July 16.
Strong, hot winds known as “berg winds” (mountain winds) blow from the inland mountains out to the sea in the fall on winter off of the coasts of southern Africa. Roughly equivalent of Santa Ana winds in California, berg winds are well-known for their ability to loft large plumes of dust from the Namib Desert and other dry spots, carrying the dust over the Atlantic Ocean.
On this date, the heaviest dust blew over Walvis Bay, Namibia in the north and from the mountain edges south of the Orange River in South Africa. Smaller tan plumes can be seen spanning the entire region, including light tan plumes that pass across the orange sands of the Namib Desert’s great Sand Sea.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 7/16/2020
Resolutions:
1km (344.6 KB), 500m (1.1 MB), 250m (2.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
