Latest news with #CopernicusSentinel-5P
India Today
09-06-2025
- Science
- India Today
Massive sandstorm blowing from Africa's Sahara desert seen from space
Sand and dust from the Sahara desert are highly responsible for fertilising several parts of global oceans and the world's landmasses. New satellite pictures have now captured the Saharan dust in action. 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. The images were captured during multiple observations from Copernicus Sentinel-3 and Copernicus Sentinel-5P on May 7, 2025. The images show a dense, orange plume of Saharan sand over approximately 1,50,000 sq km of the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Sandstorms can be a major contributor to reduced air quality and can cause hazards to human health. (Photo: ESA) 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. The satellite images also reveal the concentration of aerosols in the dust plume: darker tones of orange denote denser aerosol concentrations. The image was captured by the Sentinel-5P which carries the state-of-the-art Tropomi instrument that maps a multitude of trace gases and can measure the aerosol index, which is an indicator of the presence and intensity of aerosols such as dust. "This combination of Sentinel-3 and -5P satellite imagery allows scientists to improve their understanding of these massive dust clouds, and forecasters to provide better air quality predictions. These data are extremely important for air-quality models," the European Space Agency, said in a statement. The images show a dense, orange plume of Saharan sand. (Photo ESA) The team said that sandstorms can be a major contributor to reduced air quality and can cause hazards to human health. "The suspended particles, in fact, cause hazy skies, trigger air quality alerts and, when breathed, can lead to cardiovascular conditions and lung problems. The travelling Saharan dust plays an important role in our ecosystem. It is a major source of minerals and nutrients for phytoplankton and for ecosystems on the other side of the world, including the Amazon rainforest," ESA added.
NDTV
05-06-2025
- Science
- NDTV
New Images Capture Mount Etna's Massive Eruption From Space
On June 2, Mount Etna erupted, spewing hot lava down its slopes as a massive ash cloud towered above Sicily. Located on the Italian island of Sicily, Europe's highest and most active volcano sent a colossal plume of ash soaring up to 5 kilometres into the sky during the eruption. Meanwhile, a European Space Agency satellite captured the whole thing from space. Copernicus Sentinel-2C snapped dramatic photos of the eruption just minutes after it began, providing a unique perspective on the volcanic activity. The satellite, launched by the European Commission's Earth observation program in September 2024, captured striking images of Mount Etna's eruption from an altitude of 775 km. The photos reveal a dense ash plume and a pyrocumulus cloud drifting over inland Sicily, as well as active lava flows descending into the Valle del Bove. "The image here clearly depicts the lava flow and huge plume of smoke and ash. A capture from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite also shows the sulphur dioxide emitted in the plume," ESA wrote while sharing the image. See the image here: 🌋 Mount Etna's latest eruption on 2 June was caught by @CopernicusEU Sentinel-2. This image shows the lava distribution from the eruption, using an infrared overlay to highlight lava flowing. — European Space Agency (@esa) June 4, 2025 As per ESA's Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite caught the eruption using its wide swath high-resolution multispectral imager that includes 13 spectral bands for imaging Earth's vegetation and landscape. The Copernicus satellites provide critical data to experts, enabling them to monitor volcanic activity, assess hazards, support emergency responses, and track long-term landscape changes. The eruption began at 11:24 am local time on June 2, when increased pressure from hot gases inside Mount Etna led to a partial collapse of one of its craters. This triggered a pyroclastic flow, sending a dense column of ash and smoke kilometres into the atmosphere. Lava flowed in three directions but began to cool down. Pyroclastic flows are highly hazardous, reaching temperatures of up to 1,000°C and travelling at speeds of around 60 miles per hour. #Etna 2025 suite de l'éruption — 🥗Aurelien Pouzin🍯 (@aurelienpouzin) June 2, 2025 Notably, there hadn't been an eruption from Etna of this magnitude since 2014, according to the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology Observatory. The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) had noted Mount Etna was experiencing "intense and almost continuous" strombolian explosions. According to the latest statement by INGV, the eruption activity has ceased.
