Pollution over Bangladesh and India

The skies over northern India and Bangladesh have been filled with a thick, gray layer of smoke and haze (gray pixels) since late November 2002. In this particular scene, acquired on Jan. 10, 2003, there appears to be a low-lying cloud (or perhaps ground-level fog, brighter white pixels) blanketing much of the region south of the Himalayas. The particulate pollution over the region may have served as ?seeds? (or cloud condensation nucleii) to help form this cloud. These layers of haze and cloud may be contributing to the unusually cold conditions currently being experienced in Bangladesh.

The smaller white patches to the north are the snow-covered peaks of the Himalayan Mountains.

This true-color image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite. The high-resolution image available here is 500 meters per pixel. Visit the MODIS Rapid Response Team, for a copy of this scene at MODIS’ full resolution of 250 meters per pixel.

References & Resources

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

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January 10, 2003

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