MSGID: 1:317/3 63c43f4a   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   January 15, 2023 - Massive Dust Event in Afghanistan and Pakistan   
      
      Dust   
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      A massive dust storm was blanketing much of Pakistan and Afghanistan on   
      January 11, 2023 when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer   
      (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of   
      the event.   
      
      The majority of the light-colored dust poured from the Sistan Basin,   
      Afghanistan along the border with Iran. For thousands of years, the   
      Sistan Basin held a large, rich oasis known as the Hamoun Wetlands. The   
      wetlands were fed by the Helmand River, creating a supremely biodiverse   
      ecosystem that sustained agriculture, game, fishing, and more than 225   
      species of bird—including several endemic, threatened and endangered   
      species.   
      
      During the 20th century, rapid population growth and aggressive use of   
      the water of the Helmand River for irrigated farming led to a dramatic   
      shrinking of the Hamoun Wetlands. What was once a lush a   
      2,000-square-km (800-square-mile) wetland ecosystem teeming with life   
      has been replaced by a mostly lifeless salt pan. The light, silty lake   
      floor is now vulnerable to the intense heat and strong winds often   
      experienced in this region and has become a source of extreme dust   
      storms across the region.   
      
      This particular dust storm stretched from the Hamoun Wetlands, across   
      Pakistan, over the Arabian Sea to Gujrat, India. Most of Iran (west   
      side of the image) remained dust-free.   
      
      Image Facts   
      Satellite:  Terra   
      Date Acquired: 1/12/2023   
      Resolutions:  1km (898.5 KB),  500m (2.2 MB),  250m (1.5 MB)   
      Bands Used: 1,4,3   
      Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC   
      
      
      
   https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-01-15   
       
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