[NASA] Saharan Dust in the Wind

[SpaceMan 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership

The 

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

 satellite acquired this image of a plume of Saharan dust as winds lofted it over the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 24, 2024.

The Sahara Desert is Earth’s largest source of airborne dust, and the particles can travel for thousands of miles. From late spring to early fall, it is common for the dry, dusty Saharan Air Layer to carry the particles

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

 across the Atlantic Ocean high in the atmosphere. Saharan Air Layer activity subsides after mid-August, according to NOAA, making it less likely that the plume shown here is bound for a transoceanic journey. Instead, it arcs to the north after blowing out over the ocean. Earlier in the summer, however, several clouds of fine dust from the Sahara reached the ******* States, creating hazy skies over Texas.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

Text Credit: Lindsey Doermann

Image Credit: NASA/Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up