Satellite image shows Saharan dust blanketing the central Mediterranean Sea

If your sinuses went haywire last Sunday, the probability is it was caused by dust from the Sahara Desert that blanketed the central Mediterranean Sea.

Satellite imagery from the EU’s Copernicus system shows Malta was only just impacted by a cloud of Saharan dust transported across the sea.

Calabria and the north east coast of Sicily in Italy were harder hit with the massive dust cloud turning the sky a yellowish hue on Sunday 2 February.

The dust cloud was caused by a cyclone originating in North Africa, according to the Copernicus website. The following day, the dust was transported eastward into Greece.

The suspension of dust in the atmosphere can affect air quality, visibility, and respiratory health.

The Copernicus data visualisation (the image with this report), generated with data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, depicts the dust plume southeast of Italy and approaching Greece on 3 February at 8:00 UTC (10am local time).

The Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) monitors and forecasts air quality on a global scale, assessing the concentration and dispersion of atmospheric pollutants and aerosols.