Dust Over the Persian Gulf

Credit: Jeff Schmaltz; MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Thursday, 1 March 2007, 08:31 CST Download full size image

A dust storm from the Arabian Peninsula blew across the Persian Gulf toward Iran (visible at the top of the image) on February 17, 2007. The MODIS on NASA's Aqua satellite took this picture the same day, capturing the pale beige plumes of dust blowing toward the northeast over the gulf. Also visible are blue-green patches in the gulf, likely resulting from sediment or shallow water.

The other countries shown at the bottom of this image, from left to right are: the peninsula of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Along the coast of the United Arab Emirates, which stretches up towards the upper right corner of the image, just barely out of the path of the dust, are artificial island resorts.

Along with northern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula is one of the world's most dust-prone regions. A massive sand desert, Ar Rub' al Khali, covers much of southern Saudi Arabia, northern Yemen and Oman, and the United Arab Emirates, providing ample material for dust storms.

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