Bodele Depression Dust Storm
May 2, 2013
On January 6, 2007, another dust storm blew out of the Bodele Depression in northern Africa. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite took this picture the same day. This image shows the typical pale beige, dual dust plumes blowing out of the Bodele Depression toward the southwest. In the southwest, bigger plumes of dust appear. The gap between the plume pairs, showing relatively clear skies over Lake Chad, suggests a break in dust storm activity. The larger plumes in the southwest likely blew out of the Bodele Depression a day or so earlier. In the south, the African landscape changes from arid tan to a darker green, due to more vegetation. Smoke from numerous fires burning in this region may be mingling with the Bodele Depression dust. The Aqua satellite orbits the Earth multiple times per day, crossing over the poles with each pass. Closer to the Equator, the satellite views most—but not all—of the planet each day. The white swath running diagonally through this image is a gap between satellite passes. Credit: NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC.