Dust blew east-northeastward across Jordan, Syria and Iraq in early March 2010. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image on March 3, 2010, at 10:45 a.m. Damascus time (8:45 UTC). Source points for the dust plumes appear as pinpoints of tan that fan out toward to east. Many of them occur along the eastern margin of Harrat ar Rujaylah, a lava field discernible by its coffee-colored hues.
A low-pressure system moved through the region days before MODIS captured this image, stirring dust in Saudi Arabia. Likewise, unsettled conditions were forecast for Jordan on March 3. The atmospheric disturbances associated with the weather systems likely contributed to the dust storm.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.
