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Dust Storms A Lake Hamoun, Iran and Afghanistan story

Deserts  / 
Water  / 
Wetlands
  1. Earthshots
  2. Lake Hamoun, Iran and Afghanistan
  3. Dust Storms
Description

Even with these reservoirs, dry lakebeds surrounding Zabol are problematic. A “120-day wind” blows in this region. These persistent spring and summer winds can cause dust storms in and around Zabol.

Zabol reports dozens of dust storms every year. Clouds of dust from the lakebed cause breathing problems and can spread respiratory diseases. Many villages in the region have been abandoned.

The August 2000 image shows an extensive dust storm blowing sediment off the dry lakebed toward the south. The dust plumes obscure most land features and reach to Lake Gowd-e Zareh and beyond.

View Related Imagery & Stories

Location

June 7, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 157/39) — Lake Hamoun, Iran and Afghanistan

June 7, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 157/39) — Lake Hamoun, Iran and Afghanistan

August 18, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 157/39) — Dust storm over Lake Hamoun, Iran and Afghanistan

August 18, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 157/39) — Dust storm over Lake Hamoun, Iran and Afghanistan

June 7, 2000, Landsat 5 (path/row 157/39) — Lake Hamoun, Iran and Afghanistan
August 18, 2000, Landsat 7 (path/row 157/39) — Dust storm over Lake Hamoun, Iran and Afghanistan

Lake Hamoun, Iran and Afghanistan Additional Imagery & Stories

Lake Gowd-e-Zareh
Lake Gowd-e-Zareh

Water from the Helmand River is used upstream for agriculture. The river turns west and flows across the border into Iran and drains into the Lake Ham...

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The Hamoun Wetlands
The Hamoun Wetlands

The Lake Hamoun area is classified as freshwater wetlands. Because Hamoun is a closed basin, it’s more of an inland delta. About 60,000 hectares of th...

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Zabol
Zabol

The lakes visible in these close-up images are the Chah-Nimeh reservoirs. These natural cavities in the southern Sistan plain are near Zabol, Iran, wh...

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