This image of Iraq, Kuwait, and parts of Saudi Arabia and Iran was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite on March 20, 2003, at 09:50 UTC (or 12:50 p.m. local time in Baghdad.) The image shows dust over the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, as well as several thermal anomalies detected by MODIS that have been marked with red dots or outlines. Plumes of black smoke are associated with these hot spots in southern Iraq and locations are consistent with known oil wells. Thermal signatures in Iran are likely fires.

The high-resolution image provided above is a sub-section of a larger image. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides the image of the full scene at MODIS? maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters.

Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC