Dust storm off West Africa

On May 16, 2005, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), flying onboard the Aqua satellite, captured this image of a dust storm off the West Coast of Africa. A thick cloud of yellow dust sprawls toward the Cape Verde Islands, barely visible in the lower left corner of the image. Dust storms often cross the Atlantic entirely, bringing mixed blessings to the Western Hemisphere. Residents of Florida may suffer more respiratory illnesses, yet marine and terrestrial ecosystems benefit from the transported nutrients.

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Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published May 17, 2005
Data acquired May 16, 2005

Source:

Aqua > MODIS

Collections:

MODIS Rapid Response

Visible Earth