Dust Storm off West Africa

Dust Storm off West Africa

Dust plumes from the Sahara Desert blew off the west coast of Africa and over the Atlantic Ocean in mid-June 2008. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture on June 15, 2008. This natural-color image shows dust plumes blowing toward the southwest, over Cape Verde. West of the archipelago, the dust remains discernible, mingling with dots of white clouds. Over the island chain, the dust is thin enough to allow a view of the land and ocean surface, but thick enough to produce an amorphous tan haze.

NASA image courtesy of Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center. Caption by Michon Scott.