Abstract In July 1983, the summer transport of Saharian aerosols across the Mediterranean Sea was observed. The dust cloud was particularly dense and was clearly detected in A.V.H.R.R. and METEOSAT imageries. Optical thickness and Angstrom coeffcients have been derived from these pictures. During the same period, ground based observations—transmission, aureole and polarization measurements—were performed at the Observatoire de Haute Provence (southeast of France). Measured aerosol optical thickness at 550 nm were as large as about 1.5. The optical thicknesses and Angstrom coefficients derived from the two experiments are compared and are in good agreement.