| Earth from Space: Desert Storm |
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| Wednesday, 16 April 2008 | |
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The Envisat satellite is proposing to observe the sand and dust from the Sahara desert - pushed by the wind over the Atlantic Ocean - on the picture below, along the coast of Mauritania (top) , Senegal (center) and Guinea Bissau (bottom). The islands of Cape Verde, covered with clouds, are visible off the coast of Senegal.
* Click here to view the photo gallery "The Earth from outer space" The sandstorms or dust are usually the result of convection movement in the atmosphere that form when warm air, lighter, and that is the cold air, heavier, descends take its place. The Saharan dust can be transported thousands of miles by these convection currents, which also other meteorological phenomena such as thunderstorms. The sandstorms are very common over the Sahara, which is an important source of mineral dust with high concentrations can be retrieved over the tropical Atlantic and the Caribbean. The Saharan dust plays an important role in the Mediterranean region, as it represents the major source of nutrients for phytoplankton minerals - which is the staple food on which all marine life. Instead, it is not always beneficial to the West, where it is suspected to be the cause of diseases that infect coral reefs. The dust could also be linked to medical conditions, in particular the increase in cases of asthma in children in the Caribbean and deadly meningitis epidemics in sub-Saharan regions in the semi-arid Sahel. This image was acquired by the camera MERIS (Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer) Envisat, March 29, 2008, in "full resolution", which helps distinguish the details of 300 metres. |
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