Earth

View from space: A cloudy, dusty day in Kuwait

Posted by
Deborah Byrd
and
April 5, 2013
Dust over parts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf on April 5, 2013 via NASA's Earth Observatory. View larger.
Dust over parts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf on April 5, 2013 via NASA’s Earth Observatory. View larger.

NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired this natural-color image of a thick veil of dust spanning hundreds of kilometers over parts of the Arabian Peninsula and the Persian Gulf on April 5, 2013. Clouds hovered over the dust, especially over Kuwait. According to NASA’s Earth Observatory, which published this image earlier today, dust storms are frequent natural hazards for Iraq, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia due to fine sediments from dry riverbeds and lakebeds, and sand seas. They said that, today, clouds might have been associated with a weather front stirred the dust.

Kuwait is near the center of this map of parts of the Middle East. The Persian Gulf extend down in the lower right quadrant of the map. View larger. Map via Wikimedia Commons.
Kuwait is near the center of this map of parts of the Middle East. The Persian Gulf extend down in the lower right quadrant of the map. View larger. Map via Wikimedia Commons.

Bottom line: Image from NASA’s Aqua satellite showing dust over the Arabian Peninsula on April 5, 2013.

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April 5, 2013
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Deborah Byrd

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About the Author:
Deborah Byrd (asteroid 3505 Byrd) helps edit EarthSky.org and is a frequent host of EarthSky videos. Deborah created the EarthSky radio series in 1991 and founded EarthSky.org in 1994. Prior to that, she had worked for the University of Texas McDonald Observatory since 1976, and created and produced their Star Date radio series. She has won a galaxy of awards from the broadcasting and science communities, including having an asteroid named in her honor in 1990, a Public Service Award from the National Science Board in 2003, and the Education Prize from the American Astronomical Society in 2020. A science communicator and educator since 1976, Byrd believes in science as a force for good in the world and a vital tool for the 21st century. "Being an EarthSky editor is like hosting a big global party for cool nature-lovers," she says.

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