Tonight when I was looking from the Odenwald towards the Pfälzer Wald (40-50km as the crow flies) it was a quite unusual combination of clear views (it is not always possible to see the hills on the other side of the Rhine Valley, let alone see the wind generators) and the Sahara dust in the air making for a spectacular sunset.
Weekend Sky
A sunset to complement Becky’s sunrise with which she started off Febodduary, or rather: a month of odd squares in February. Not a pink and orange blaze of the sun going down over the Rhine Valley but a a lowered sun muted and dark through dust blown all the way from North Africa. A Sahara sandstorm in Germany which although it seems to spell doom is actually the reason why our area has such fertile soil.
In February this year we had some strange weather in the Upper Rhine Valley. Strong winds blew sands from the Sahara, from as far away Morocco, Algeria, Mauretania and Mali all the way to Switzerland, France and the south of Germany. It happens every few years.
As interesting as the effect was, I prefer not to breathe in my sand.
How about drinking it?
A few days ago somebody posted a photo of sand in a bottle and I commented on it and now I cant find anymore. Anyway – this is the bottle that I have, a lot less artistic. I filled this bottle myself 50 years ago with sands from Le sentier des ocres de Roussilon in the Luberon. It’s an old ocher pigment quarry in the South of France which was then open to anybody and one could just collect sand. Nowadays, there are fixed walkways and taking sands is strictly forbidden (and quite rightly so).
Within a week we went from sub zero temperatures and snowy landscapes to springy 20° C with people walking around in t-shirts and shorts. But with this surge in temperature came another phenomenon which can be observed particularly during sunrise and sunset. Gone is the pink and orange glow instead the sky turns a dusky yellow.
The photos are not photoshopped (except for a little cropping). The last one is a close-up of the sun just before it dips behind the hills of the Palatium.
The reasons for these conditions is wind bringing sand from the Sahara to Europe. Dust from 3000 – 5000 km away is in the air and settling (thus, by the way, enriching our soil and has been doing so for hundreds of thousands years – thank you Afrika!). Here is a link to NASA showing this from high above: NASA.
Weekend Sky #18.
pictures imperfect blog 