Haze and Smog in Central China

In these images from late 2002 and early 2003. Haze and Smog in Central China. air pollution blankets a large region of central China. The pollution gets packed into valleys between mountain ranges and along rivers, and is so thick that in places it completely obscures the surface from the satellite’s view. These images were acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua and Terra satellites.

Central China is a geographical and a loosely defined cultural region that covers the central area of China.  Therefore This region includes the provinces of Henan, Hubei and Hunan, as Jiangxi is sometimes also regarded to be part of this region. Central China is now officially part of South Central China governed by the People’s Republic of China. In the context of the Rise of Central China Plan by the State Council of the People’s Republic of China in 2004. Also surrounding provinces including Shanxi,Anhui, are also defined as regions of Central China development zones. Also the Haze and Smog in Central China has caused much more than just natural devastation. It has also caused major health concerns for the locals in the area.

Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC