Today’s Image of the Day from NASA Earth Observatory features dust flowing through the Tokar Gap, where the easternmost extent of the African Sahel meets the Red Sea. “Mountain chains border both sides of the Red Sea, the long narrow inlet of the Indian Ocean that separates Saudi Arabia to the east from Egypt, Sudan, and Eritrea to the west. One major exception is the Tokar Gap, a 100-kilometer (60-mile) break in the Red Sea Hills that serves as a conduit for both winds and dust,” says NASA. The image shows a plume of dust from Sudan pushing through the Tokar Gap. “In the winter, the winds reverse and winds typically gather over the Red Sea and move through the gap toward the southwest,” says NASA.

Source: The North Africa Journal July 03, 2023 12:22 UTC