Images
June 10, 2020 - Massive Dust Storm off West Africa
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A massive cloud of Saharan dust blew off of western Africa in early June 2020, blanketing the North Atlantic Ocean and stretching over the Cape Verde Islands, which lie about 400 miles (650 km) off the coast of Senegal. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the sandy scene on June 9.
Hundreds of millions of tons of dust blow out of Africa every year, sometimes crossing the Atlantic to reach the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. This dust fertilizes the ocean with nutrients that can promote plankton growth, but it can also carry fungus and disease-causing microorganisms that damage coral reefs.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/9/2020
Resolutions:
1km (900.8 KB), 500m (2.8 MB), 250m (6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
A massive cloud of Saharan dust blew off of western Africa in early June 2020, blanketing the North Atlantic Ocean and stretching over the Cape Verde Islands, which lie about 400 miles (650 km) off the coast of Senegal. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of the sandy scene on June 9.
Hundreds of millions of tons of dust blow out of Africa every year, sometimes crossing the Atlantic to reach the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. This dust fertilizes the ocean with nutrients that can promote plankton growth, but it can also carry fungus and disease-causing microorganisms that damage coral reefs.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 6/9/2020
Resolutions:
1km (900.8 KB), 500m (2.8 MB), 250m (6 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
