Image of the Taklamakan desert in China’s Tarim Basin obtained on November 11, 2023, by the MODIS sensing unit on NASA’s Aqua satellite.
Flanked by range of mountains on 3 sides, the basin in northwestern China sees regular dust storms.
The Taklamakan desert, situated in China’s Tarim Basin, is among the driest, most barren areas onEarth Flanked by range of mountains on 3 sides, it is parched by the resulting rain shadow. In truth, numerous parts of it get in between 10 and 40 millimeters (less than 2 inches) of rain annually.
Climate and Environmental Challenges
November through March is especially dry, and passing weather condition systems typically stimulate walls of dust that race throughout the basin. The MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) sensing unit on < period class ="glossaryLink" aria-describedby ="tt" data-cmtooltip ="<div class=glossaryItemTitle>NASA</div><div class=glossaryItemBody>Established in 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is an independent agency of the United States Federal Government that succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA). It is responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. Its vision is "To discover and expand knowledge for the benefit of humanity." Its core values are "safety, integrity, teamwork, excellence, and inclusion." NASA conducts research, develops technology and launches missions to explore and study Earth, the solar system, and the universe beyond. It also works to advance the state of knowledge in a wide range of scientific fields, including Earth and space science, planetary science, astrophysics, and heliophysics, and it collaborates with private companies and international partners to achieve its goals.</div>" data-gt-translate-attributes="[{"attribute":"data-cmtooltip", "format":"html"}]" > NASA‘s Aqua satellite got the image at the top of this short article on November 11, 2023, as a cold front travelled through the area 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.
Combatting Desertification
To fight the spread of deserts and minimize the variety of dust storms, Chinese authorities are participated in a tree-planting project to develop forests along the edges of the Taklamakan and GobiDeserts The task, called the Three-North Shelter Belt or the Great Green Wall, started in1978 Since 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
