Images
January 4, 2019 - Dust Over Canary Islands
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Strong winds carried Saharan dust over the western Africa coast and over the Canary Islands in late December 2018. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the long river of tan sand and dust on December 26.
Africa’s Sahara Desert produces a steady supply of dust, and the Canary Islands are often in the path. Saharan dust often travels much further than these islands; it often crosses the Atlantic and reaches the Caribbean where it prove a mixed blessing. The dust provides soil to islands where soils are extremely thin and sit primarily on rock. However, heavy loads of dust can damage sensitive coral reefs. Saharan dust also may travel to the South American rain forest and, at times, reaches North America.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/26/2018
Resolutions:
1km (484.7 KB), 500m (1.5 MB), 250m (4.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
Strong winds carried Saharan dust over the western Africa coast and over the Canary Islands in late December 2018. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the long river of tan sand and dust on December 26.
Africa’s Sahara Desert produces a steady supply of dust, and the Canary Islands are often in the path. Saharan dust often travels much further than these islands; it often crosses the Atlantic and reaches the Caribbean where it prove a mixed blessing. The dust provides soil to islands where soils are extremely thin and sit primarily on rock. However, heavy loads of dust can damage sensitive coral reefs. Saharan dust also may travel to the South American rain forest and, at times, reaches North America.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 12/26/2018
Resolutions:
1km (484.7 KB), 500m (1.5 MB), 250m (4.1 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
