In the south-central reaches of northern Africa’s Sahara Desert, a dust storm is whipping up the sand (top center) and moving it southward over an already-struggling Lake Chad (left center edge). Regional water demands, and perhaps climate change, have shrunk the surface area of the lake dramatically, and sand dunes (tan striations) can be seen encroaching into the dense vegetation surrounding the small lake. Scattered fires (red dots) were detected as well in this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image captured on October 31, 2002, by the Terra satellite.
Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
