Sandstorm in China and Mongolia

Sentinel-2 MSI acquired on 15 March 2021
Sentinel-5P TROPOMI AER_AI acquired on 15 March 2021
Sentinel-5P TROPOMI AER_AI acquired on 16 March 2021
Sentinel-5P TROPOMI AER_AI acquired on 17 March 2021
Sentinel-5P TROPOMI AER_AI acquired on 18 March 2021
Author(s): Sentinel Vision team, VisioTerra, France - svp@visioterra.fr
Keyword(s): Atmosphere, meteorology, air quality, health, deforestation, erosion, China, Mongolia, Korea, Gobi desert
Fig. 1 - S2 (15.03.2021) - View of a sand-covered sky in North-East China, Beijing lies under the north-west tile.
2D view
Fig. 2 - S5P TROPOMI (15.03.2021) - Aerosol Index - The 2021 East Asia sandstorm began in the Eastern Gobi desert steppe on March 14.
3D view
Fig. 3 - S5P TROPOMI (16.03.2021) - It spread to the southern Mongolian Plateau, the Loess Plateau, the North China Plain and the Korean Peninsula.
3D view
Fig. 4 - S5P TROPOMI (17.03.2021) - It is caused by strong northwest winds coming in from Mongolia, as a result of hot and dry conditions.
3D view
Fig. 5 - S5P TROPOMI (15.03.2021) - The sandstorm was the biggest to hit China in a decade, causing pollution levels in some districts to rise to 160 times the recommended limit. The issue has been compounded since the 1950s due to widespread deforestation and soil erosion.
3D view
The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency or the European Union.
Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025, processed by VisioTerra.
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