The AIRS Dust Score (Ocean, Night) layer indicates the level of atmospheric aerosols in the Earth’s atmosphere over the ocean. The numerical scale is a qualitative representation of the presence of dust in the atmosphere, an indication of where large dust storms may form and the areas that may be affected. Pixels where the dust score is less than 360 are not shown in Worldview/Global Imagery Browse Services (GIBS).

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) is an instrument on board the Aqua satellite. The AIRS Dust Score science parameter is a parameter of the AIRS Level 1B Near real time Infrared quality assurance subset (AIRIBQAP_NRT). The imagery resolution is 2 km and sensor resolution is 45 km. The temporal resolution is daily.

References: GES-DISC - AIRIBQAP_NRT: AIRS/Aqua L1B Near Real Time (NRT) Infrared (IR) quality assurance subset V005; GES DISC - Near Real-Time Data; New Featured Article on AIRS Dust Score; April dust storm surges through China from the Taklimakan Desert