January 31, 2022 - Massive Dust Storm over the Arabian Sea

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Dust over Arabian Sea
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In late January 2022, a substantial dust storm enveloped the Arabian
Sea. Plumes of desert dust affected populated areas around the basin,
as winds carried the particles over Karachi, Mumbai, and numerous other
cities and degraded air quality.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board
NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the storm on
January 22, just as plumes of dust streamed from Oman, Pakistan, and
Iran to create an extremely thick wall of dust over the Arabian Sea off
the coast of Pakistan. Visibility in Karachi—the largest city in
Pakistan—fell to about 500 meters (1600 feet) on that day.

Dust arose from three different countries but merged into a large plume
that cast a pall over much of the Arabian Sea. NASA’s Earth Observatory
quoted Hiren Jethva, a Morgan State University scientist based at
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, who stated the size of the plume
was “quite remarkable,” as was its unusual path.

Initially on January 21, high winds associated with a low-pressure
system whipped up dust and carried it toward the southeast. On January
22, the dust blew over the sea and then hooked toward the east. By
January 23, dust blanketed western India, shrouding the states of
Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Rajasthan.

According to Jethva, winter winds usually blow out from India toward
the Arabian Sea, carrying various aerosols from local pollution and
biomass burning. “However, the reversal of wind direction has likely
occurred, bringing dust from the ocean to the Indian subcontinent,”
Jethva said.

The dust hung in the air for days. In Mumbai, the air quality index on
January 24 was “severe,” the highest of six categories in the country’s
index. According to news reports, an air quality index that high in
Mumbai is “unprecedented.” Toward the southeast, the city of Pune saw
air quality in the “very poor” category, ranking worse that day than
Delhi, where winter air quality is often affected by temperature
inversions.n

The dust storm was accompanied by chilly weather. According to news
reports, the dust in Mumbai contributed to the lowest daytime January
temperature recorded in the city in a decade, reaching just 23.8°C
(74.8°F) on January 23. On average, daytime temperatures in January
reach 31°C (88°F).

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 1/22/2022
Resolutions: 1km (1.6 MB), 500m (4.4 MB), 250m (3.2 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=2022-01-31

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