Saharan Dust over the Mediterranean Sea

 

Saharan dust blew over the Mediterranean Sea in late February 2013. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite took this picture on February 22.

Most of the dust blew off the coast of Egypt, partially obscuring the satellite sensor’s view of the Nile Delta. An especially thick river of dust stretched northward past the Greek island of Kriti (Crete). In the north, the dust encountered cloudbanks.

Sand seas extend over large portions of Libya and Egypt. In Egypt, a little less than 3 percent of the land is arable; in Libya, just over 1 percent of the land is arable. Dust storms rank among the most frequent natural hazards for both countries.

1. References

2. CIA World Factbook. (2013, February 13) Egypt. Accessed February 25, 2013.
3. CIA World Factbook. (2013, February 19) Libya. Accessed February 25, 2013.

NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE MODIS Rapid Response. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument: 

Aqua - MODIS - NASA