Saharan dust, 16 September 2025

Image of the week: Saharan dust over the Atlantic Ocean

 

Watching our Earth from space

Saharan dust, 16 September 2025
Saharan dust, 16 September 2025

This week’s image is of Saharan dust moving west out over the Atlantic Ocean towards the Canary islands - as seen from the Meteosat-12 geostationary weather satellite 36,000km above the Earth.

Last Updated

16 September 2025

Published on

16 September 2025

Saharan dust particles are lifted into the atmosphere by gusts of surface wind and can be transported and deposited thousands of kilometres away. 

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

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.

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

Saharan dust, 16 September 2025

Dust image

This image was captured by the FCI instrument onboard Meteosat-12 on 16 September 2025.

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

More info

Access Meteosat-12 imagery

Learn more about Meteosat Third Generation satellites

Access atmospheric data from EUMETSAT User Portal

Learn more about monitoring dust and aerosols from space

Access Copernicus atmosphere service

WMO Barcelona Dust Regional Center