January 26, 2016
On January 26, 2016, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite, acquired this natural-color image of dust from Western Sahara, Mauritania, and Senegal blowing over the Atlantic Ocean. The Cape Verde Islands are visible in the lower-left corner of the image.
Africa is the world’s largest source of dust to the atmosphere, contributing about 70 percent of the global total. Airborne mineral dust from the world’s deserts delivers nutrients to the land and ocean, and affects the atmosphere and climate.
References & Resources
- Nature News (2010, August 9) African dust keeps Amazon blooming. Accessed January 27, 2016.
- Prospero, J. M. et al. (2014, July) Characterizing the annual cycle of African dust transport to the Caribbean Basin and South America and its impact on the environment and air quality. Global Biogeochemical Cycles 28 (7), 757–773.
NASA image by Jeff Schmaltz, LANCE/EOSDIS Rapid Response . Caption by Kathryn Hansen.
