These Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) nadir-cameraimages of eastern China compare a somewhat hazysummer view from July 9, 2000 (left) with a spectacularly dusty springview from April 7, 2001 (middle). The left-hand and middle images extend from centralManchuria near the top to portions of North and South Korea at thebottom. They are approximately 380 kilometers in width.
Asia's desert areas are prone to soil erosion, as underground watertables are lowered by prolonged drought and by industrial andagricultural water use. Heavy winds blowing eastward across the arid andsparsely vegetated surfaces of Mongolia and western China pick up largequantities of yellow dust. Airborne dust clouds from the April 2001storm blew across the Pacific Ocean and were carried as far as NorthAmerica. The minerals transported in this manner are believed to providenutrients for both oceanic and land ecosystems.
According to the Xinhua News Agency in China, nearly one million tons ofGobi Desert dust blow into Beijing each year. During a similar dustoutbreak last year, the Associated Press reported that the visibility inBeijing had been reduced the point where buildings were barely visibleacross city streets, and airline schedules were significantly disrupted.The dust has also been implicated in adverse health effects such asrespiratory discomfort and eye irritation.
The image on the right is a higher resolution MISR nadir-camera view ofa portion of the April 7, 2001 dust cloud. It covers an area roughly 250kilometers wide by 470 kilometers high. When viewed at fullmagnification, a number of atmospheric wave features, like the ridgesand valleys of a fingerprint, are apparent. These are probably inducedby surface topography, which can disturb the wind flow. A few smallcumulus clouds are also visible, and are casting shadows on the thicklower dust layer.
Analyses of images such as these constitute one phase of MISR'sparticipation in the Asian-Pacific Regional Aerosol CharacterizationExperiment, an international campaign aimed at studying the offshoretransport of airborne particles from the Asian continent. For more aboutthis international endeavor, seehttp://saga.pmel.noaa.gov/aceasia/.
References & Resources
Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team.
