This image, acquired by the Envisat satellite in April 2006, shows a sandstorm sweeping over Beijing. Severe sandstorms like this one affect various areas in China, resulting from strong winds that carry loose soil and dust from the Gobi Desert across hundreds of miles.

• Image 1: Satellite: Envisat, Instrument: Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS), Product: MER_RR_1P (1200 metre resolution), Acquisition Date: 17 Apr 2006, Orbit: 21586, Band combination: 7, 5, 2 (RGB), Orbit direction: Descending