Dust-storm activity picked up in Chad’s Bodele Depression in mid-December 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on December 20, during the area’s second day of intense dust activity.
In this image, dual off-white plumes of dust blow toward the southwest. The Bodele Depression sits between two mountain ranges in Chad, downwind from a natural wind tunnel. Although this desert area appears largely devoid of life, it plays in important role in life halfway around the world. Minerals in Bodele dust plumes help fertilize soils in the Amazon Rainforest.
Much of the dust from the Bodele Depression often blows toward Lake Chad. In this image, the lake is dotted with red hotspots that indicate the location of fires.
NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. The Rapid Response Team provides daily images of this region.
