Sahara Archives

A thick plume of sand and dust from the Sahara Desert is seen in these images blowing from the west coast of Africa across the Atlantic Ocean. Larger image

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Desert Worlds, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

When A Desert Planet And Ocean Planet Mix: A Saharan Dust Plume

by Keith CowingJune 6, 2025August 23, 2025

Sandstorms, which are common over the Sahara, occur when large amounts of dust particles from the desert are swept up by strong winds. They can float for days or even […]

NASA Earth Observatory image by Lauren Dauphin, using VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS LANCE, GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership The Suomi NPP satellite acquired this image of a plume of Saharan dust as winds lofted it over the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 24, 2024. Larger image

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Life In The Atlantic Ocean Thrives Due To Windblown Saharan Dust

by Keith CowingSeptember 23, 2024September 23, 2024

Iron is a micronutrient indispensable for life, enabling processes such as respiration, photosynthesis, and DNA synthesis. Iron availability is often a limiting resource in today’s oceans, which means that increasing […]