NASA MODIS Image of the Day: February 4, 2007 – Haze and Sediment in Bangladesh and India
On January 27, 2007, haze sprawled from the southern edge of the Himalayas southward over the Bay of Bengal. In between, it clouded the skies over northern India and Bangladesh. In the south, thick sediment colored the mouth of the Ganges shades of pale brown and blue-green. Such sediment is a natural occurrence, although land-use changes can increase the sediment flow. The haze overhead often collects at the base of the mountains in the wintertime.
The MODIS on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on January 27, 2007. In this image, the haze appears thickest in the northwest. It thins toward the south, but haze is still clearly visible over the ocean. The haze appears to follow a distinct path toward the ocean, concentrating over the border between India and western Bangladesh. Further west in India, and on the east side of Bangladesh, skies appear clear. Along the coastline of India and Bangladesh, the dark green Sundarbans stand out from the otherwise brown landscape. The Sundarbans are the largest mangrove forest in the world! You can compare the haze and sediment in this image with conditions on January 21st.
