Dust over the Atlantic Ocean

Acquired August 11, 2011, this natural-color image shows a dust plume spanning several hundred kilometers off the west coast of Africa.

Atmosphere Land Water Dust and Haze

Dust Storm off Western Sahara

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

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Water Dust and Haze

Saharan Dust on the Move

In June 2014, winds pushed a river of dust from western Africa across the Atlantic Ocean.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Dust and Haze

Dust Crosses the Atlantic

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.

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Here Comes the Saharan Dust

The dust in the skies over the Caribbean and Southern United States has distant origins.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze Remote Sensing

A Dust Plume to Remember

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.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Dust and Haze Remote Sensing

Tracking Dust Across the Atlantic

Dust storms in mid-summer 2013 spanned the Atlantic Ocean, depositing particles in the Americas and perhaps suppressing hurricanes.

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Saharan Dust Crosses the Atlantic

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze

Thick Dust Plumes Obscure Africa’s Coast

An extensive dust storm in late February carried debris over the Atlantic Ocean, en route to the Amazon Basin.

Image of the Day Atmosphere

Dust Storm off Western Sahara

Dust and Haze

Dust over the Atlantic Ocean

Acquired January 19, 2012, this image shows a crescent-shaped dust plume off the west coast of northern Africa.

Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze

A Dusty Journey

Satellite observations show how far winds normally spread North African dust particles before rain and gravity pull them down to the ocean.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Water Remote Sensing

Bits of the Sahara on the Move

A relentless storm lofted dust out of western Africa for days.

Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Dust and Haze

Atmosphere Awash with Saharan Dust

In mid-June 2016, winds lofted thick plumes of dust from northern Africa’s deserts high into the air.

Image of the Day Land Water Dust and Haze Remote Sensing