Dust from the Arabian Peninsula lingered over the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea on September 29, 2011. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture the same day.
Dust plumes nearly surround the island of Cyprus, but leave skies over the center of the island largely clear. Dust extends far enough northward to reach the southern shores of Turkey. Thick dust also lingers over part of Syria.
Thick dust hovered over Jordan on September 28, and that is where the dust storm likely arose. Sand seas and dry salt lakes cover much of the country, supplying material for frequent dust storms.
NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.
