Saharan Dust off West Africa

Saharan Dust off West Africa

On February 16, 2003, a large plume of Saharan Desert dust (light brown pixels) was blowing westward over the Cape Verde Islands in the east Atlantic Ocean. This true-color image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite.

The high-resolution image provided above is 500 meters per pixel. The MODIS Rapid Response System provides this image at MODIS’ maximum spatial resolution of 250 meters.

Image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC