On February 5, 2007, dust blew along the Iran-Iraq border and over the Persian Gulf. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture the same day. In this image, the dust obscures the view of the land surface and the water. Over the Persian Gulf, the dust dissipates somewhat as it blows toward the southeast, but it remains thick enough along the coastline to block the view of the sediment that usually colors the ocean water blue-green. East of the dust storm, Iran’s topography contrasts sharply with the land to the west. While southern Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia present largely flat landscapes, Iran’s land is mountainous.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center.
