Sandstorms cast dangerous haze over Middle East

An usually high number of sandstorms have hit the Middle East, disrupting the daily lives of thousands amid warnings from experts that climate change will continue to alter regional weather patterns.

A fisherman paddles his boat during a sandstorm in Iraq's southern city of Basra, May 16, 2022.

The Middle East's sandstorms are becoming more frequent and intense, a trend associated with overgrazing and deforestation, overuse of river water and more dams.

A child sweeps the floor during a sandstorm at the Imam Ali Shrine in Najaf, Iraq, May 23, 2022.

Another sandstorm that descended on climate-stressed Iraq sent at least 4,000 people to the hospital with breathing problems and led to the closure of airports, schools and public offices across the country.

People wearing masks walk during a sandstorm in Najaf, Iraq, May 23, 2022.

People with breathing problems are treated at a hospital during a sandstorm in Baghdad, Iraq, May 16, 2022.

Sandstorms across the Middle East have delayed flights, closed schools and hospitalized thousands.

A view shows the dust covering the sky during a sandstorm, in Baghdad, Iraq, May 23, 2022.

People walk during a sandstorm in Baghdad, Iraq, May 23, 2022.

In this handout satellite image courtesy of NASA Earth Observatory taken on May 16, 2022, a dust storm engulfs parts of Iraq and neighboring countries.

Saudi Arabia on May 17 was one of the latest countries to be blanketed with dust that slowed traffic and made iconic towers in the capital difficult to see from more than a few hundred meters away. Other countries have been grappling with the problem for longer: Neighboring Iraq has experienced eight sandstorms since mid-April, fueled by soil degradation, intense droughts and low rainfall linked to climate change

A fisherman navigates his boat on the Shatt al-Arab waterway during a sandstorm in Basra, Iraq, May 23, 2022.

A youth dives into the Shatt al-Arab river during a sandstorm in Iraq's southern city of Basra, Iraq, May 16, 2022.

Bedouin shepherds whose animals were banned from entering the Najaf governorate due to the spread of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, walk alongside their grazing flock in the al-Henniyah area outside of Najaf, on May 23, 2022, during a sandstorm sweeping the country.

Bedouin shepherds whose animals were banned from entering the Najaf governorate due to the spread of the Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, walk alongside their grazing flock in the al-Henniyah area outside of Najaf, on May 23, 2022, during a sandstorm sweeping the country.

The downtown sky is pictured during a sandstorm in Manama, Bahrain, May 17, 2022.

Children play outside during a sandstorm on Muharraq Island, north of the Bahraini capital Manama, May 17, 2022.

Volunteers clean up at the Imam Ali shrine during a sandstorm in Iraq's holy city of Najaf on May 16, 2022.