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Desert Winds Blow Dust Plume Over Southwestern Argentina

December 11, 2020
Image of a dust plume over argentina

On Dec. 10, 2020, NOAA’s GOES East satellite saw a dust storm blow from the northern coast of Mari Menuco Lake, Argentina, which is 41 miles west from the next largest city, Neuquen. The dust plume was propelled by a cold front moving east through the desert landscape, and was measured to have gust speeds of 63 miles per hour by Argentina’s National Meteorological Service.

This satellite imagery is displayed as a GeoColor product , which “provides as close an approximation to daytime True Color imagery as is possible, [and] allows for intuitive interpretation of meteorological and surface-based features.” This allows people from all over the world, with varying degrees of technological access, to review and interpret weather data much easier with this more naturalistic view of our planet from above.

The GOES East geostationary satellite, also known as GOES-16, keeps watch over most of North America, including the continental United States and Mexico, as well as Central and South America, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west coast of Africa. The satellite's high-resolution imagery provides optimal viewing of severe weather events, including thunderstorms, tropical storms, and hurricanes.