China haze, temperature inversion, poor air quality

Beijing Shrouded in Brown Haze

Coal-fired Power Plants and Essential Clean Air are Diametrically Opposite to Each Other

Haze blanketed Beijing, China, on January 18, 2010, when the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image. The entirely image is brown, as if covered by a thin film. The image also hints at a contributing factor to the poor air quality: a temperature inversion, contributing to the buildup of pollutants. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Holli Riebeek. Edited by FEWW

(MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite, January 18, 2010. The gray-brown haze extends from Beijing to the South China Sea from north to south and from Korea to central China from east to west (shown in the large image). This image shows the densely populated and industrialized North China Plain between Beijing and the Yangtze River, where the haze is so dense that it completely obscures the ground. NASA image courtesy the MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Holli Riebeek. Edited by FEWW