Photo: Dust Plume From Africa Over the Mediterranean Sea As Seen From Orbit

A dust plume stretched across the Mediterranean Sea on February 23, 2011, from just west of the Nile Delta to just east of Kriti (Crete). The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture the same day. The dust plume extends hundreds of kilometers across the ocean, mingling with clouds in the north. Source points for this plume are not apparent in this image, and skies over Egypt are largely clear.

This plume was likely whirled aloft by dust storms occurring over Egypt and Libya in the preceding days. NASA image courtesy Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. Caption by Michon Scott.

Instrument: Terra – MODIS download large image (2 MB, JPEG)