Silty Alaskan Skies

In late-October, winds blew a long plume of silty glacial dust from the Copper River Valley over the Gulf of Alaska.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Water

Connecting the Dots Between Dust, Phytoplankton, and Ice Cores

Researchers keep a close watch on dust storms around the Gulf of Alaska because the nutrients in that dust may affect marine ecosystems.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Dust and Haze

Dust Storm Off Alaska

Rock pulverized by glaciers served as the raw material for a fall dust storm emanating from Alaska’s Copper River delta in October 2012.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Dust and Haze

Dust over Southwestern Alaska

Acquired in early November 2012, these images show two dust plumes that may have had very different sources.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze

Iron in the Wind

When winds push dust and glacial flour into the Gulf of Alaska, they can deliver enough iron to trigger phytoplankton blooms.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Dust and Haze Snow and Ice

Dust over the Gulf of Alaska

This image from early November 2011 shows a dust plume blowing off the coast of southern Alaska.

Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze Snow and Ice

Dust Storm off Alaska

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze Snow and Ice

Dust over Iraq

Following the course of the Euphrates River, a large sandstorm swept over Iraq on September 14, 2008. Sandstorms are common in Iraq’s desert terrain, especially during the summer, when a strong northwesterly wind called the shamal blows over the floodplain of Iraq’s Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land

Copper River Delta

Glacier runoff makes for a prodigious flow of water and sediment, painting the coastal waters in shades of gray, tan, and brown.

Image of the Day Land Water

Dust Storm over Eastern China

Dust and Haze