Dust Obscures the Red Sea

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March 19, 2017JPEG

March 19, 2017TIFF

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of airborne dust on March 19, 2017. Winds carried the plume east from Africa.

NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response. Caption by Pola Lem.

Dust from African deserts often veils the Red Sea.

References & Resources

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This arid part of Africa sees frequent dust plumes.

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Acquired on the afternoon of May 26, 2011, this natural-color image shows a dust plume over the Red Sea.

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In early July 2014, vast amounts of dust blew out of Sudan and Eritrea.