July 6, 2021 - Dust over the Red Sea

Dust over the Red Sea

In the opening days of July 2021, strong winds carried a wide wave of dust across the Red Sea. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the scene on July 1.

This plume, which measured over 875 miles (1,408 km) in width and covered parts of Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and Djibouti on July 1, was lofted from the rust-colored sands of Sudan’s Nubian Desert on June 30. Spreading eastward, the plume widened and was crossing the Red Sea to reach the Arabian Peninsula by the next day. The sandstorm has continued through July 5, although with lesser quantities of dust in motion.

Image Facts
Satellite: Aqua
Date Acquired: 7/1/2021
Resolutions: 1km (2 MB), 500m (5.3 MB), 250m (3 MB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit: MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC