The colored dots off the west coast of Africa are dust score values from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The dust score is determined from multiple tests that compare radiances in select AIRS spectral channels. Dust is probable when the score is above 380. Yellow and red/crimson areas in the image indicate dust score values of 463 to >500. This image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument. MODIS and AIRS two of the six instruments aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. Explore this full image in NASA Worldview.
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