A thick plume of sand and dust from the Sahara Desert is seen in these images blowing from the west coast of Africa across the Atlantic Ocean.

Sandstorms, which are common over the Sahara, occur when large amounts of dust particles from the desert are swept up by strong winds. They can float for days or even weeks, depending on how dry, fast and turbulent the air masses become. Winds in the higher troposphere can then transport the dust across oceans and continents. This kind of Saharan dust storm is also known as the Saharan Air Layer, which typically forms between late spring and early autumn.