March 23, 2023 - Dust Storm in Northern China

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A strong spring storm brought heavy snows, blizzard conditions, and
winds gusting to 60 mph (96.6 km/h) across Mongolia on March 21, 2023.
As the winds roared over the Gobi Desert, they picked up massive
amounts of dust, creating a massive dust storm both in Mongolia and, by
March 22, in northeastern China.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the dust storm on
March 22. The immense blanket of dust obscures an area that measures
about 190,000 square miles (492 square kilometers) completely from
view. That’s larger than the country of Sweden. The dust is entrained
in the clouds in some areas, while a thinner veil of dust reaches
Russia and the Korean Peninsula.

According to several media reports, the air quality in Beijing, China
tumbled to unhealthy levels as the sandstorm rolled in. Concentrations
of PM10 aerosols were said to have reached 1,667 micrograms per cubic
meter early in the morning, or about 37 times the daily average
guideline set by the World Health Organization. PM10 refers to
aerosolized particles that measure less than 10 micrometers or less, a
size that permits them to be inhaled into the lungs, where they can
cause respiratory damage.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 3/22/2023
Resolutions: 1km (653.7 KB), 500m (2 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=2023-03-23

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