IMAGES
sahara1.jpg: Saharan Air Layer, or SAL outbreak (i.e. Saharan dust storm) moving over Africa on March 6, 2004.  Vast amounts of Saharan dust can be seen in this image captured by NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites.  This dust storm was approximately the size of the lower 48 U.S. states.

sahara2.jpg: photo taken on Sept 1, 2006 from NASA's DC-8 aircraft operating out of the Cape Verdes.  What could be mistaken for clouds below the aircraft flight level (their were no clouds in this picture) is actually saharan dust.

sahara3.jpg: special infrared satellite imagery showing a SAL outbreak spanning across much of the North Atlantic on June 25, 2008.  Yellow to orange shading indicates dry, dusty Saharan air in a thin layer over the Earth's surface (starting  at ~1 mile and extending up to -3 miles overhead). 

sahara4.jpg:  Tropical Depression Erin interacting with the SAL in the North Atlantic on September 2, 2001.  This special infrared imagery from NOAA's GOES satellite shows dry, dusty air (yellow to red shading) from the Saharan Air Layer wrapping into the storm's circulation.  Erin struggled across the Atlantic for the next several days as it became embedded in the Saharan Air Layer, but rapidly intensified into a major hurricane when it began separating from the SAL on Sep 8th.

sahara5.jpg: Photo taken in the late afternoon at Grantley Adams airport in Barbados after a NOAA Saharan Air Layer Experiment mission into Hurricane Helene on Sep 16, 2006.  The NOAA P-3 Orion is in the foreground and the setting sun is being obscured by Saharan dust associated with a Saharan Air Layer outbreak that had begun overspreading the region two nights before.  Photo credit: Jason Dunion NOAA/HRD.   

sahara6.jpg:  Dust layer associated with the Saharan Air Layer.  Photo taken from the NOAA G-IV northeast of Barbados during a Saharan Air Layer Experiment mission into Hurricane Helene on Sep 16, 2006.  Small cumulus clouds can be seen poking through the tops of the dust layer, which is seen as a milky white haze.  Photo credit: Jason Dunion NOAA/HRD.   

sahara7.jpg: Photo of the Saharan Air Layer taken from the NOAA P-3 Orion during a Saharan Air Layer Experiment mission on Sep 18, 2006.  Saharan dust gives the sky an orange glow during this late afternoon sunset in the eastern Caribbean.  Small cumulus clouds can be seen poking through the tops of the dust layer.  Photo credit: Jason Dunion NOAA/HRD.

sahara8.jpg: Photo taken at sunrise in Miami on July 9, 2008.  A Saharan Air Layer outbreak had just overspread the area, after traveling over 6,500 km across the North Atlantic.  Even after traveling a great distance across the Atlantic, this SAL outbreak contained substantial Saharan dust (which gives the sky a hazy appearance in this picture) and extremely dry air about 1 mile above the surface (which hampered thunderstorm development for the next few days in South FL).

sahara9.jpg: Saharan Air Layer outbreak moving off of Africa into the North Atlantic on February 26, 2000.  Vast amounts of Saharan dust can be seen in this image captured by NASA's Terra satellite.

sahara10.jpg: Saharan Air Layer outbreak moving off of Africa into the North Atlantic on March 2, 2003.  Vast amounts of Saharan dust can be seen in this image captured by NASA's Terra satellite. 

sahara11-12.jpg:  Dust layer associated with the Saharan Air Layer.  Photo taken from the NOAA P-3 Orion flying at about 15,000 ft returning to Barbados after a mission into Hurricane Bill (August 20, 2009).  Saharan dust gives the sky an orange glow during this late afternoon sunset in the eastern Caribbean.  Small cumulus clouds can be seen poking through the tops of the dust layer.  

ANIMATIONS
Meteosat satellite dust animation (200603_15min_DUST.mov): animation of Meteosat satellite imagery capturing a massive Saharan dust storm over Africa during March 2006.  Atmospheric dust shows up as pink shading in the multispectral infrared satellite imagery.

GOES satellite dust storm animation (sep01.avi): animation of GOES satellite imagery capturing Hurricane Erin's interaction with the Saharan Air Layer (aka Saharan dust storm) during September 2001.  Yellow to red shading indicates dry, dusty Saharan air.  Notice that Erin begins entraining the SAL as it moves off the African coast, becomes embedded in the SAL for the next several days and struggles to intensify, and eventually emerges from the SAL, intensifying into a major category 3 hurricane.  Note that individual images from this loop are also available.

GOES satellite dust storm animation (cindy99.avi): animation of GOES satellite imagery capturing Hurricane Cindy's interaction with the Saharan Air Layer (aka Saharan dust storm) during August 1999.  Yellow to red shading indicates dry, dusty Saharan air.  Notice that Cindy is along the southern edge of the SAL when it moves off the African coast and was likely entraining dry, dusty air.  After struggling for several days, Cindy emerges from the SAL as it moves to the northewest and quickly intensifies into a major category 4 hurricane.  Note that individual images from this loop are also available.

AIRCRAFT
noaagiv.jpg: NOAA's G-IV high altitude jet used to conduct research missions, including NOAA's Saharan Air Layer Experiment.

noaap3.jpg: NOAA's P-3 Orion turboprop used to conduct research missions, including NOAA's Saharan Air Layer Experiment.