Dust over Iraq, Syria, and Turkey

Dust over Iraq, Syria, and Turkey

Dust continued blowing over Iraq, Syria, and Turkey on May 21, 2009, mingling with clouds over the Black Sea. Almost two hours after the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite observed the storm, MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite took this picture, at about 1:15 p.m. local time (10:15 UTC).

Compared to the earlier image from Terra, the dust appears thicker over Turkey in this scene, and not quite as thick in Iraq. Dust-free skies immediately west of the storm allow a clear view of part of the Euphrates River as it flows through Syria.

NASA image courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.