Shuttle astronauts frequently track Saharan dust storms as they blow from north Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. Dust palls blowing from Africa take about a week to cross the Atlantic. Recently, researchers have linked Saharan dust to coral disease, allergic reactions in humans, and red tides. The top photograph, a classic image showing African dust over the Caribbean, was taken at a time when few scientists had considered the possibility. The image was taken by Space Shuttle astronauts on July 11, 1994. This photograph looks southwest over the northern edge of a large trans-Atlantic dust plume that blew off the Sahara desert in Africa. In this view, Caicos Island in the Bahamas and the mountainous spines of Haiti are partly obscured by the dust. Closer to the foreground, (about 26 degrees north latitude), the skies are clear.
Published Sep 9, 2001
In June 2014, winds pushed a river of dust from western Africa across the Atlantic Ocean.
Published Jul 5, 2014
An extensive dust storm in late February carried debris over the Atlantic Ocean, en route to the Amazon Basin.
Published Mar 4, 2015
Saharan dust hovered over the Atlantic for several days in mid-January 2008. This image shows two different areas of dust plume activity. Immediately off the coasts of Western Sahara and Mauritania, a series of tan dust plumes blow in predominantly straight lines toward the northwest. Farther west, a large, diffuse plume of dust hangs over the Atlantic Ocean
Published Jan 25, 2008
The dust in the skies over the Caribbean and Southern United States has distant origins.
Published Jun 30, 2018Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze Remote Sensing
While dust routinely blows across the Atlantic Ocean, scientists rarely see plumes as large and dense with particles as the one that darkened Caribbean skies in June 2020.
Published Jun 29, 2020
Satellite observations show how far winds normally spread North African dust particles before rain and gravity pull them down to the ocean.
Published Jan 9, 2020
Acquired August 11, 2011, this natural-color image shows a dust plume spanning several hundred kilometers off the west coast of Africa.
Published Aug 11, 2011
Floridians looking for a break from hurricane season in late July 2005 were in for a change, though it wasn’t necessarily what they wanted: Saharan dust. By July 19, a massive dust storm had crossed the Atlantic towards southern Florida.
Published Jul 23, 2005
Dust storms are common in the region, and sometimes bear resemblance to weather events on Mars.
Published May 10, 2020
Acquired June 1, 2010, this natural-color image shows a thin plume of dust off the coast of South America.
Published Jun 1, 2010
Acquired July 21, 2012, this color-coded image tracks a giant dust plume spanning the Atlantic Ocean.
Published Jul 23, 2012
Dust storms in mid-summer 2013 spanned the Atlantic Ocean, depositing particles in the Americas and perhaps suppressing hurricanes.
Published Aug 29, 2013
