This satellite image shows how aerosols can obscure the land and sea beneath, blocking incoming sunlight. Aerosols over northeastern India and Bangladesh partially obscure the Ganges River and then are swept out over the Bay of Bengal. Notice how the high-altitude air over the Himalayas, near the top of the image, is clearer. This true-color image was acquired on December 4, 2001, by the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument, flying aboard NASA's Terra satellite.
Image courtesy of Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC.