July 18, 2009 - Dust Storm over the Red Sea

Dust Plumes over the Red Sea

Dust continued blowing over the Red Sea for the third straight day on July 16, 2009. The MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture the same day. As dust plumes from Sudan (top left)blew over the Red Sea, curving toward the southeast before reaching Saudi Arabia (top right), smaller dust plumes blew northeastward off the coast of Somalia and over the Gulf of Aden.

The dust blowing from Sudan appears to arise near the coast. Clouds obscure much of Somalia, however, making it difficult to tell whether the dust blowing off that coast originated near the shore or farther inland.

Image Facts
Satellite: Terra
Date Acquired: 07/16/2009
Resolutions: 1km ( B), 500m ( B), 250m ( B)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC