On November 6, 2005, a massive dust storm swept southward over the Yellow Sea from northern China. This storm followed on the heels of perhaps the worst air pollution in nearby Beijing in six months, according to news reports. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying onboard the Aqua satellite captured this image on November 6. In this image, pale beige dust plumes streak southward over the Bo Hai, Korea Bay, and Yellow Sea, likely mixing with air pollutants from other parts of the country as the dust passes over the ocean.

According to a news report in The Guardian, China was named the “air pollution capital of the world” in the fall of 2005. This dust storm, however, owes its existence to more than pollution. The sandy deserts of Mongolia lie to the north, and Mongolia is one of the world’s most prolific sources of dust. Yet this region produces some treasures along with natural hazards. Sandwiched between Mongolia to the north, and Bo Hai to the south, is Liaoning, a part of China that has become famous in recent years for its fossils, such as feathered dinosaurs.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, Goddard Space Flight Center

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