Key Information
Location: Coane in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean near West Africa
Image Description: A massive comma-shaped cloud of Sahara dust is pushed into the ocean
Origin of the Photo: Goes-19 Satellite
Date of Capture: May 28, 2025
The satellite recently captured a significant cloud of “Saharan dust” drifting into the sea, the largest hot desert in the world. This haze later traveled over 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) to North America, affecting the air quality in Florida and several other states.
On the morning of May 28, 2025, substantial dust and sand clouds began moving from the Sahara towards the Atlantic Ocean. According to a statement from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), these clouds reached Florida by June 4th and also affected Louisiana, Texas, and other areas along the Gulf Coast, while also impacting several Caribbean nations including Puerto Rico and the Bahamas.
Images captured by the Goes-19 satellite, a collaboration between NASA and NOAA, revealed the dust cloud as it began its journey across the Atlantic. At that moment, it spanned around 240,000 square miles (620,000 square km) between Cabo Verde and the West African coast, including the archipelago of ten volcanic islands situated in the mid-Atlantic and the coastlines of Mauritania, Senegal, Gambia, and Guinea Bissau.
The dust cloud was described as a “notably robust comma-shaped plume” by the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA) at Colorado State University. However, shortly after the photographs were taken, the clouds began to dissipate and appeared to grow larger.
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) also observed the plume during their passage over the Atlantic, as reported by Space.com.
Related: Explore all the stunning images of Earth captured from space
In Florida, the plume may have led to a brief drop in air quality, impacting individuals with respiratory issues. The skies remained hazy for approximately 48 hours before much of the dust settled. Some of it later became visible on windows and vehicles.
Between June 13th and 15th, another small plume reached the United States.
Saharan dust can have fascinating effects, such as causing the sun’s rays to reflect in a way that creates vibrant skies, lively sunrises, and sunsets. “It can even influence the formation of thunderstorms in regions with particularly dense dust,” noted a NOAA representative.
Saharan Dust Plumes
Saharan dust is propelled by powerful gusts of wind that occur more frequently in desert regions compared to other areas, potentially reaching several miles above the Earth’s surface, as stated by The UK Met Office. This primarily happens between late spring and early autumn.
Once airborne, the dust floats above the desert in a region known as the “Saharan Air Layer,” which stretches roughly 2.5 miles (4 km) above the Sahara Desert, forming about one mile (1.6 km) above the surface. Every 3-5 days, harvested dust is blown into the ocean, and when sufficient, the microparticles create a large plume capable of crossing the ocean, as per NOAA’s findings. The Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Research Institute monitors the Saharan air layer.
Every year, various sizes of Saharan dust reach the United States, with the intensity typically peaking between June and August.
A notable instance in recent history was the “Godzilla” plume, which impacted much of the southern United States in June 2020. This two-week event marked the highest dust levels recorded since satellite monitoring began 18 years ago. According to 2021 research.
Source: www.livescience.com