Image of the week: Saharan dust over the Mediterranean Sea

Watching our Earth from space

This week’s image is of Saharan dust moving north out over the Mediterranean Sea from Egypt and Libya - as seen from the Meteosat-12 geostationary weather satellite 36,000km above the Earth.

Last Updated

01 April 2025

Published on

01 April 2025

Saharan dust particles are lifted into the atmosphere by gusts of surface wind and can be transported and deposited thousands of kilometres away. Over the oceans, dust can act as a fertiliser, stimulating blooms of tiny marine plants (phytoplankton) that are the basis for the marine food chain.

When dust travels over populated areas, it can reduce air quality and impact health by causing respiratory problems and cause flight delays.

The latest imagery from Meteosat-12 can be accessed on EUMETview.

Dust image

This image was captured by the FCI instrument onboard Meteosat-12 on 31 March 2025.

The Meteosat weather satellites provide imagery for the early detection of fast-developing severe weather, weather forecasting and climate monitoring.