NASA MODIS Image of the Day: August 7, 2011 – Dust storm over the Red Sea
Dust plumes spanned the Red Sea at the end of July 2011.
The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this natural-color image on July 31, 2011.
Although the dust is not thick enough to completely hide the land or water surface below, a thick haze hangs over the entire region. In the image, the Red Sea is bordered by Saudi Arabia on the right (east), and to the left (west) by Sudan. In the lower left (southwest) corner, a black borderline has been overlain on the true-color image to demarcate the border between Sudan and Eritrea. The source of the dust is not obvious in this image, but dust storms often blow off the east coast of Africa, and this storm likely follows a similar pattern. Desert dominates the landscape of northern Sudan, and growing desertification and drought are persistent threats, the CIA World Factbook reports.
