Dust storm over the Gulf of Aden

Dust storm over the Gulf of Aden

The dust storm that started on March 17 continued its southward movement two days later, drifting off the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula and over the Gulf of Aden. Dust was especially thick over western Yemen and the western part of the Gulf of Aden. Off the

Saharan dust over the Mediterranean Sea

Saharan dust over the Mediterranean Sea

Thick dust blew off the northern coast of Africa and over the Mediterranean Sea in early March 2012. The dust plumes blew off the coast of both eastern and western Libya, the country in the southeast section of the image, with clear skies predominating between the

Dust storms on the Arabian Peninsula

Dust storms on the Arabian Peninsula

Dust storms continued on the Arabian Peninsula from late February into early March. This image, acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite on March 3, 2012, shows a dust plume spanning hundreds of kilometers.

Multiple dust plumes in Sudan

Multiple dust plumes in Sudan

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites observed the intensification of a dust storm in the eastern Sahara Desert on February 25, 2012.  Multiple dust plumes arise from discrete source points—one such

Saharan dust over the Atlantic Ocean

Saharan dust over the Atlantic Ocean

A strong Harmattan wind carried clouds of dust thousands of kilometers across West Africa and the Northern Atlantic Ocean in early February 2012. Blowing south from the Sahara desert, the dry and dusty seasonal trade wind deposited thick layers of dust on sidewalks and

Dust storm over the Arabian Sea

Dust storm over the Arabian Sea

Dust plumes stretched southward over the Arabian Sea in late February 2012.  The thickest plume arises just west of the Iran-Pakistan border. Thinner plumes blow southward along the entire coast of Pakistan.Sandy deserts cover much of southern Pakistan and Iran, and

Dust storm in Utah

Dust storm in Utah

Dust and clouds mingled over Utah in late February 2012. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this natural-color image of a dust storm on February 23.The dust arises from the Great Salt Lake Desert, with

Dust storm over Texas

Dust storm over Texas

In late February 2012, a dust storm in the Texas Panhandle dropped visibility to near-zero, and caused numerous accidents and two deaths, according to news station WJLA. The dust swept from eastern New Mexico through Texas, forming a giant arc north of Lubbock.

Dust blew off Western Africa

Dust blew off Western Africa

A dust plume blew off the coast of western Africa on February 6, 2012. It was spanning hundreds of kilometers. Distinct plumes blow off the coast of Western Sahara over the ocean, but the large veil of dust in the southwest likely arose farther inland. Sandy desert