The Taklamakan desert, located in Chinas Tarim Basin, is one of the driest, most barren expanses on Earth. November through March is particularly dry, and passing weather condition systems frequently stir up walls of dust that race throughout the basin. The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor on NASAs Aqua satellite got the image at the top of this article on November 11, 2023, as a cold front passed through the area and blew dust towards the east.
Fighting Desertification
To combat the spread of deserts and decrease the variety of dust storms, Chinese authorities are taken part in a tree-planting project to develop forests along the edges of the Taklamakan and Gobi Deserts. The task, called the Three-North Shelter Belt or the Great Green Wall, started in 1978. Because then, 10s of billions of trees have actually been planted; the objective is to plant around 100 billion by 2050.
NASA Earth Observatory image by Wanmei Liang, utilizing MODIS information from NASA EOSDIS LANCE and GIBS/Worldview.
Image of the Taklamakan desert in Chinas Tarim Basin obtained on November 11, 2023, by the MODIS sensing unit on NASAs Aqua satellite.
Flanked by range of mountains on 3 sides, the basin in northwestern China sees frequent dust storms.
The Taklamakan desert, located in Chinas Tarim Basin, is one of the driest, most barren expanses on Earth. Flanked by range of mountains on 3 sides, it is parched by the resulting rain shadow. Many parts of it receive between 10 and 40 millimeters (less than two inches) of rain per year.
Environment and Environmental Challenges
November through March is particularly dry, and passing weather systems often stir up walls of dust that race throughout the basin. The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensor on NASAs Aqua satellite got the image at the top of this post on November 11, 2023, as a cold front gone through the region and blew dust towards the east. The storm dropped snow in the Tien Shan variety to the north, noticeable amidst the clouds in the top-left of the image.
By Adam Voiland, NASA Earth Observatory
November 25, 2023
