MODIS Rapid Response

Traffic-free and Sky-high
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Traffic-free and Sky-high

Cloud streets form thousands of feet above the Earth’s surface.

Published Mar 12, 2017

Image of the Day Snow and Ice

Dust Over the Persian Gulf
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Dust Over the Persian Gulf

Winds carried a large plume of dust over the Persian Gulf.

Published Feb 25, 2017

Image of the Day Atmosphere Dust and Haze

An Emerald Vortex
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An Emerald Vortex

Fast-growing duckweed can leave swirls of green in Venezuela’s Lake Maracaibo.

Published Feb 23, 2017

Image of the Day Water Remote Sensing

Snow in the Middle East
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Snow in the Middle East

Snow stretched from eastern Turkey to the Caspian Sea.

Published Feb 21, 2017

Land Severe Storms Snow and Ice

Fires Threaten Christchurch
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Fires Threaten Christchurch

In mid-February 2017, wildfires near Christchurch, New Zealand, spurred the evacuation of more than 1,000 residents.

Published Feb 18, 2017

Image of the Day Land Fires Human Presence Remote Sensing

Tropical Cyclone Dineo
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Tropical Cyclone Dineo

Tropical Cyclone Dineo gains strength as it heads toward Mozambique.

Published Feb 14, 2017

Atmosphere Severe Storms

Finding Fires in Peru
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Finding Fires in Peru

Peru’s intense fire season in 2016 saw burning extend into 11 of the country’s protected areas.

Published Feb 10, 2017

Image of the Day Atmosphere Heat Land Life

Cleaning Up Cookstoves
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Cleaning Up Cookstoves

A new study suggests that health and climate benefits may come from unexpected parts of the world.

Published Feb 9, 2017

Image of the Day Atmosphere Human Presence

A Cut in the Clouds
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A Cut in the Clouds

The islands formed ripples in the clouds.

Published Feb 3, 2017

Atmosphere Unique Imagery

Sudan’s Shifting Sands
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Sudan’s Shifting Sands

Faint streaks indicate recent transport of dust and sand, as well as older buildup.

Published Feb 2, 2017

Land Dust and Haze

Snow Across the Southwest
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Snow Across the Southwest

Snow covered the Sierra Nevada and much of Utah and Colorado.

Published Jan 30, 2017

Land Severe Storms Snow and Ice

The Treacherous and Productive Seas of Southern Africa
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The Treacherous and Productive Seas of Southern Africa

Warm and cool ocean currents collide near South Africa’s Cape Agulhas and Cape of Good Hope.

Published Jan 27, 2017

Image of the Day Land Water

Fires Continue in Chile
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Fires Continue in Chile

The nation is enduring some of the most widespread fires on record.

Published Jan 26, 2017

Atmosphere Heat Land Fires

Thick Haze in Eastern China
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Thick Haze in Eastern China

Bad air days have become common in recent winters.

Published Jan 26, 2017

Atmosphere Dust and Haze Human Presence

Snowy Kamchatka
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Snowy Kamchatka

The remote Russian peninsula was covered in snow and unobscured by clouds.

Published Jan 19, 2017

Unique Imagery Snow and Ice

Winter Snowscape in Alaska
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Winter Snowscape in Alaska

Snow blanketed Alaska, along with much of the continental United States, in early 2017.

Published Jan 11, 2017

Unique Imagery Snow and Ice

Snow Blankets Northern Mongolia
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Snow Blankets Northern Mongolia

Extreme winter weather can have harsh consequences for Mongolian families that raise livestock.

Published Jan 10, 2017

Land Severe Storms Unique Imagery

Snow Sweeps Across the United States
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Snow Sweeps Across the United States

Unusually cold weather in the U.S. delayed flights and slicked roads.

Published Jan 9, 2017

Severe Storms Snow and Ice

Bogoslof Kicks Off 2017 with a Bang
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Bogoslof Kicks Off 2017 with a Bang

For a few minutes on the evening of January 3, 2017, Alaska’s Bogoslof Volcano let loose an explosion.

Published Jan 6, 2017

Volcanoes Remote Sensing

Multiple Fires Blaze in Argentina
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Multiple Fires Blaze in Argentina

Wildfires filled the skies with smoke near Bahía Blanca and Victorica.

Published Jan 5, 2017

Image of the Day Land Fires Remote Sensing

Raised by Fire, Felled by Ice
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Raised by Fire, Felled by Ice

Events on Earth’s surface can affect the development and shape of clouds in the sky.

Published Jan 3, 2017

Image of the Day Heat Land Water Snow and Ice Remote Sensing

Kerguelen Islands
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Kerguelen Islands

Penguins, seals, and scientists are among the residents of a remote archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean.

Published Dec 28, 2016

Image of the Day Land Water Snow and Ice

Typhoon Nock-Ten Over the Philippines
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Typhoon Nock-Ten Over the Philippines

The typhoon was the strongest on record in the Northwest Pacific to make landfall so late in the year.

Published Dec 27, 2016

Atmosphere Severe Storms

Dust Over the Arabian Sea
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Dust Over the Arabian Sea

Dust and clouds swirl over the sea east of the Arabian Peninsula.

Published Dec 18, 2016

Image of the Day Atmosphere Dust and Haze

Dust Billows Over Iran
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Dust Billows Over Iran

A plume hundreds of kilometers across formed over southeastern Iran on December 10, 2016.

Published Dec 12, 2016

Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze Remote Sensing

Vardah Takes Aim at India
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Vardah Takes Aim at India

The tropical cyclone churned in the Northern Indian Ocean in early December 2016.

Published Dec 12, 2016

Image of the Day Atmosphere Water Severe Storms

Fleeting Fog in India
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Fleeting Fog in India

Morning fog was quick to dissipate over northern India’s urban areas.

Published Dec 9, 2016

Image of the Day Atmosphere Unique Imagery

Round Smoke Plume Rises Above Australian Coast
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Round Smoke Plume Rises Above Australian Coast

The blaze—likely a bush fire—comes amid a stretch of hotter-than-average weather.

Published Dec 8, 2016

Land Fires Remote Sensing

A Zigzagging Smoke Plume Over Western Australia
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A Zigzagging Smoke Plume Over Western Australia

Shifting winds pushed smoke from a bushfire into the shape of the letter Z.

Published Dec 8, 2016

Image of the Day Atmosphere Heat Land Fires

Smog and Haze in Northern China
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Smog and Haze in Northern China

Low winter temperatures exacerbate smog.

Published Dec 7, 2016

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze Human Presence