This Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image from October 22, 2004, shows trans-boundary pollution from eastern China spreading out over the east China Sea south of the Korean Peninsula (top right) and out of the scene at image right, where the westernmost edge of the Japanese island of Kyushu is visible. Urban and industrial pollution is a major environmental concern for China and the countries downwind. This image was captured by the MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite.
Other geographic reference points include the island of Taiwan, at bottom center, and the mouth of the Yangtze River, roughly in image center. Just south of South Korea, the island of Cheju is creating a swirling wake in the clouds to its south. Cheju is home to the Halla volcano, a shield volcano that last erupted in 1007. It appears that a plume of dust or smoke from the island is joining the larger flow from mainland China.
NASA image created by Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory, using data obtained from the MODIS Rapid Response team.
Incomplete burning of carbon-based fuels like coal and wood leads to a build-up of haze in eastern China, where mountains and weather patterns can trap it for days at a time. This Terra MODIS image is a comparison of a hazy day and a relatively clear day in February 2005.