Dust Storm in North Africa

Dust Storm in North Africa

One day after a dust storm in Algieria, Tunisia, and Libya, more dust swept off the north coast of Africa on December 15, 2005. This storm swept northward off the coasts of Libya and Egypt over the Mediterranean. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) flying onboard the Aqua satellite captured this image the same day. In this image, a pale beige plume of dust merges with a swirling cloud formation over the sea. The dust dissipates toward the east, although distinct plumes can be seen off the coast of Egypt. To the east of the storm is Egypt’s lush Nile Delta.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC