Dust Storms Over the Arabian Sea

Credit: Jeff Schmaltz; MODIS team; NASA, Posted on: Wednesday, 6 February 2008, 07:04 CST Download full size image

A weather forecast for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on January 31, 2008, called for high winds and the possibility of dust storms. Two days later, the predictions came to pass—with a vengeance. The MODIS on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this image of Oman, UAE, Iran, Pakistan, the Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea. This image shows thick dust plumes, bordered by thick banks of clouds, blowing over the ocean waters.

Vast sand seas cover much of the Arabian Peninsula, and smaller pockets of sand occupy Iran and Pakistan. This picture shows dust plumes blowing southward from Iran and Pakistan, fanning out over the Gulf of Oman. Farther south, a massive cloud of dust stretches over the Arabian Sea. Although some dust plumes appear to originate near the southeastern coast of Oman, much of the dust likely originates farther inland on the peninsula.

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