Tsunami Kills Tens of Thousands in South Asia; NOAA Says No Risk to Western United States

Hawaii (HDW) December 28, 2004 - Scientists from the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the United States acted quickly when a warning was issued about the powerful undersea earthquake in the Indian Ocean that triggered a devastating tsunami. The NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii issued an information bulletin at 8:14 p.m. EST Saturday, indicating that a magnitude 8.0 earthquake had occurred off the west coast of Northern Sumatra. Because the earthquake, reported to be one of the strongest in the world in the past 40 years, occurred in the Indian Ocean, not the Pacific, there was no threat of a tsunami to the West Coast of North America. (full article...)

“Brown Cloud” from Asia Pollutes the United States and other Continents

Greenbelt, MD (HDW) December 18, 2004 - In the picture taken from a NASA satellite shown above, a “Brown Cloud” of haze follows the course of the Ganges River in northern India, flowing eastward along the base of the snow-capped Himalaya Mountains (upper right) before turning south and spreading out in gray streamers over the Bay of Bengal in the Indian Ocean (lower right). Although the pollution in this brown cloud comes from human activities like agricultural fires, home heating sources (that rely on wood, kerosene, or dung burning), industry, and vehicle emissions, it lingers because of topography and atmospheric circulation patterns. In the winter phase of the Indian Ocean Monsoon, winds typically blow seaward, which carries the large, thick “brown cloud” of pollution far out over the ocean. (full article...)

Industrial Pollution Chokes Eastern China

China (HDW) September 19, 2004 - This true-color image from a satellite operated by NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland reveals much of eastern China covered by a thick blanket of smog, on September 12, 2004. The gray-colored haze, easily distinguished in this scene from the brighter white clouds, extends from the province of Mongolia (top center) all the way south to the Hunan Province (bottom center). (full article...)

Thailand (HDW) September 19, 2004 - Heavy wet-season rains drenched Northern Thailand and Laos in early September, bringing water levels on the Mekong River to dangerous levels. When a satellite operated by NASA flew over on September 14, 2004, the floods were visible through the clouds. Dark blue flood waters surround the Mekong River, the dark blue line that forms the border between Thailand and Laos. (full article...)

Chad, Africa (HDW) May 28, 2004 - On May 28, 2004, a massive dust storm was sweeping from the northeast corner of Chad to its western border, a distance of roughly 900 kilometers (560 miles). The dust storm appears to be originating in the Depression du Mourdi behind the dark semi-circle of the Ennedi Mountains in northeastern Chad. (full article...)

Afghanistan (HDW) May 23, 2004 - From the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains (upper right) to the east of the broad swath of olive-green vegetation along the Indus River Plain, blowing dust and sand make their own river that flows past the Thar Desert and out over the Arabian Sea (lower left). The winds must be wide-spread and fierce over the region, as pale dust plumes are streaming away from orange-colored deserts in Afghanistan (upper left), as well. (full article...)

Large Dust Storm hits Iraq

Floods in Manila, Philippines are Worsened by Typhoons Chaba and Aere Moving Through Asia

Dust Storm from Africa Heads Towards Vacationers in Ibiza and Spain

Dust Plumes off Coast of Namibia Offer Image of Beauty

Monsoon and Floods in India and Bangladesh Displace Hundreds of Thousands