28th/ January

Clouds of dust darkened the sky as winds swept across southeastern Iran in January 2025. Some of the desert dust was carried across the Gulf of Oman to the Arabian Peninsula, degrading air quality for those in its path.

The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) on NASA’s Terra satellite acquired this image of several dust plumes on January 22. The airborne material appears to primarily originate in the dried bed of the intermittent lake known as Hamun-e Jazmurian (Hamun-e Jaz Murian), while some may be blown from coastal areas. Along with arid regions such as the Garagum and Lut deserts and the Sistan Basin, the lakebed is a major source of dust in southwest Asia.