Haze Hovers Over The Bay Of Bengal

By early November 2011, haze had hovered along the southern slopes of the Himalaya for days. The river of haze flowed toward the southeast along the mountain range, and turned southward over Bangladesh. 

On November 7, 2011, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of haze over Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal.

Farmers in northwestern India frequently set agricultural fires at this time of year, and those fires no doubt contribute to the haze. Other factors in the mixture likely include urban and industrial pollution.

NASA image courtesy LANCE/EOSDIS MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument: Terra - MODIS

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Haze Shrouds The Himalaya

Haze hugged the southern slopes of the Himalaya in early November 2011. At about 10:45 a.m. on November 3, 2011, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of haze stretching from Pakistan southeastward to Bangladesh.

Haze is common at this time of year when farmers in northwestern India set fires to clear their fields of excess vegetation. MODIS detects areas of high surface temperatures associated with fires, but fires burn more intensely in the afternoon, and few blazes appear as hotspots (red dots) in this morning scene. The haze may result from additional factors besides agricultural fires, including urban and industrial pollution.

NASA image courtesy MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott. Instrument: Terra - MODIS

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