Haze Along the Himalayas

Credit: MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Friday, 10 December 2004, 07:53 CST Download full size image

What is likely to be human-made particle-pollution floats over India and Pakistan in this true-color Aqua MODIS image from December 1, 2004. Vehicles, energy production, and household heating and cooking fires all create tiny particles of pollution as a side-effect of use. These particles float up into the atmosphere, where they gather over time until they become numerous enough to be visible as haze. Depending on local geography and air movement patterns, the haze can last for as little as a day, or as much as a week (or longer). Below the haze, the Indus River winds in a sinuous green track from the Himalaya Mountains to the Arabian Sea. West of the Indus, mountains separate Pakistan from Afghanistan. Inside Afghanistan, the Margo Desert is a roan-shade of brown.

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