File:Dust over the Mediterranean Sea (MODIS 2024-03-01).jpg

English: Strong winds drove sand from northern Africa across the Gulf of Sidra and the Mediterranean Sea in late February 2024. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite acquired a true-color image of the moving sand on February 28.

The largest and most dense plume of tan dust appears to rise southeast of Benghazi, most likely from the Great Sand Sea. The Great Sand Sea is part of the Sahara Desert and stretches between eastern Libya and western Egypt. The huge expanse of loose sand and dust in this area is a frequent source for dust storms. The image also shows at least a half-dozen smaller, light beige plumes blowing off the coast close to or in the vegetated (green) area. Dust also appears to rise from sources south of the Gulf of Sidra.

Just over 1 percent of Libya’s land surface is arable, and most of the country is barren. Mediterranean weather predominates along the coast, but inland, extreme desert conditions prevail. Sand seas cover hundreds of square kilometers inland from the coast and some isolated dry salt lakes occur along the shores of the Gulf of Sidra.