November 5, 2008--Saharan sands take flight as a towering plume of dust streaks across the Mediterranean Sea towards southern Europe in this Aqua satellite image from November 1.

The cloud may have arisen from Algeria's seas of sand, the Grand Erg Oriental and Grand Erg Occidental.

The plume passed from North Africa across the Mediterranean, moving south of Italy and mixing with cloud cover over Greece.

Such dust storms may present hazards to human health, experts say.