Saharan dust off Italy

A thick plume of Saharan Desert dust blew toward the northeast over Algeria and Tunisia and across the Mediterranean Sea on February 21 and February 22, 2004. The dust was so thick it almost completely obscured the view of the surface in these true-color images acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA.s Terra satellite. The path of the dust storm carried it directly over the island of Sicily and Italy’s southern mainland. The tan color of the dust makes it easy to distinguish from the much brighter, white clouds in the scene.

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Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC

Published February 23, 2004
Data acquired February 22 - 22, 2004

Source:

Terra > MODIS

Topics:

Atmosphere > Aerosols > Dust/Ash

Biosphere > Terrestrial Ecosystems > Deserts

Biosphere > Terrestrial Habitat > Desert

Collection:

MODIS Rapid Response