Intense desert dust arriving from the Mediterranean stopped at the Turkish border
An intense mass of desert dust moving from the Mediterranean towards the Balkans was turned back from the Turkish border thanks to the airflow created by northeast winds (poyraz).
According to meteorological maps shared by Hava Forum, an intense mass of desert dust heading from the Mediterranean towards the western Balkans reached right up to the Turkish border, but narrowly escaped covering the entire country due to the effect of northeast winds blowing from the northeast.
Direction of Desert Dust Movement
On the map shared by Hava Forum, it is seen that the desert dust is particularly concentrated over the Mediterranean towards Greece, Albania, Montenegro, and the western Balkans.
Poyraz Forming a Border Line
The advance of the dense dust mass, shown in yellow and orange colors, toward Turkey encountered an airflow, and the poyraz blowing from the northeast formed virtually a border line for Turkey.
Sharp Transition in the Aegean Region
While the effect of the poyraz is shown with blue arrows in the section of the map covering Turkey, the Black Sea, and the eastern Aegean, the sharp transition between the two different air masses around the Aegean clearly drew attention.
Formation and Effects of Desert Dust
Fine mineral particles transported into the atmosphere by strong winds from arid regions, notably the Sahara, can create a hazy appearance in the sky during periods of heavy dust transport and negatively affect air quality.