It was dust not smog

6:29 PM.
6:29 PM.Catalina, Arizona

 

Let us compare different dusty sunsets, one from Saudi in 2007, and one from Israel, 1986, together at last for the first time:

Landing in a Lear, Qassim, Saudi Arabia.
Landing in a Lear, Qassim, Saudi Arabia, 2007.
ISR86_39.5_03131733_Ac floc with virga TA
Dusty sunset on a beach at Tel Aviv, Israel, 1986. Dust (and warm weather) comes from winds from the south and southwest that have passed over the Sahara Desert, a fact known by local forecasters there for more than 2000 years. The clouds you will immediately recognize as Altocumulus floccus virgae. The slightly different colors may be due to using different cameras, the last from Agfachrome film. Also, aerosol composition may be slightly different, of course.

 

Standing by for rain on the horizon,

Yours truly,

CM

Author: Art Rangno

Retiree from a group specializing in airborne measurements of clouds and aerosols at the University of Washington (Cloud and Aerosol Research Group). The projects in which I participated were in many countries; from the Arctic to Brazil, from the Marshall Islands to South Africa.