Saharan dust drifts across the Eastern Mediterranean Basin

Image of the day

20 Apr 2026

Earth Observation | Copernicus

Air Pollution

Pollution

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Location: Mediterranean Sea

Credit: European Union, Copernicus Sentinel-3 imagery

Saharan dust events occur when strong winds lift fine particles from North African desert surfaces and carry them across the Mediterranean Sea, affecting air quality, visibility, and ecosystems across a wide area. Such events are a recurring feature of the Eastern Mediterranean’s climate and can transport significant quantities of mineral particles as far as southern Europe

This true-colour image, acquired on 17 April 2026 by one of the Copernicus Sentinel-3 satellites, shows a vast plume originating from Egyptian territory and arcing across more than 1,000 km of open water. The plume’s colour shifts from dense sandy-brown at the source to pale, diffuse filaments blending into streaks of clouds near the port city of Tobruk on the Libyan coast.

Copernicus data support the monitoring of dust transport, enabling improved forecasting, environmental assessment, and early warning system development for affected regions.