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March 16, 2022 - Dust across Africa and the Atlantic Ocean
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On March 13, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of massive amounts of dust blowing across Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. Dust rises in eastern Chad and travels over 7,000 km (4,350 mi) westward to stretch far over the Atlantic. Expanded views of the region shows that some of the dust just off the coast of South America.
Dust storms are common in Saharan Africa. With vast sand seas across the arid desert, strong winds easily loft sand into the atmosphere. Northern Africa is the world’s largest source of airborne dust particles, contributing about 800 million metric tons of dust each year. Dust from Africa sometimes reaches North and South America, where it can play an important role in fertilizing soils in the Amazon and contributing to the sand-filled beaches in the Caribbean.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 3/13/2022
Resolutions:
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On March 13, 2022, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of massive amounts of dust blowing across Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. Dust rises in eastern Chad and travels over 7,000 km (4,350 mi) westward to stretch far over the Atlantic. Expanded views of the region shows that some of the dust just off the coast of South America.
Dust storms are common in Saharan Africa. With vast sand seas across the arid desert, strong winds easily loft sand into the atmosphere. Northern Africa is the world’s largest source of airborne dust particles, contributing about 800 million metric tons of dust each year. Dust from Africa sometimes reaches North and South America, where it can play an important role in fertilizing soils in the Amazon and contributing to the sand-filled beaches in the Caribbean.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Terra
Date Acquired: 3/13/2022
Resolutions:
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
