Satellite: Aqua Date Acquired: 12/15/2008 Resolutions: 1km (226.1 KB) 500m (784.5 KB) 250m (2 MB) Bands Used: 1,4,3 Credit: Jeff Schmaltz MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC View this image interactively

Saharan dust blew through Mauritania in mid-December 2008. The MODIS flying onboard NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on December 15, 2008. This image shows the dust storm arising in Western Sahara and Mauritania.

The dust arises from a dense configuration of source points that form a jagged line through northwestern Mauritania and Western Sahara, and end near the Algerian border. Toward the southeast, near the border with Mali, the dust becomes an amorphous plume.

Curator: Brandon Maccherone
NASA Official: Shannell Cardwell