Haze Along the Himalayan Front Range

Credit: Jesse Allen; MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Thursday, 15 November 2007, 08:00 CST Download full size image

Thick haze pushed up against the Himalayan Front Range in early November 2007. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite took this picture on November 7, 2007. This image shows the northwestern tip of the mountain range, with dingy gray haze hugging the snowcapped mountains’ southern slopes. Haze also spreads farther south, visible in the lower left corner of the image.

Heavy haze frequently collects in this region in the autumn, thanks to a few factors. Agricultural fires and increased fuel burning for warmth increase the amount of pollutants. In addition, cool air from the Himalaya sinks over the south side of the mountain range, trapping aerosols—tiny liquid or solid particles suspended in air. And behavior of the Asian monsoon produces few strong winds that would push the haze out of the area.

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