Satellite eye on Earth: December 2008

The first day of December saw dust blowing out of the Sahara, off the coast of Tunisia and over the Mediterranean towards Sicily and Italy Photograph: Noaa/Noaa

Dense, gray-white haze hung low over the Hawaiian Islands on 3 December. Though seldom so thick or widespread, the haze is common in Hawaii. It forms when sulphur dioxide from the islands’ volcanoes mixes with oxygen and water in the atmosphere Photograph: Nasa/Nasa

The typhoon season was well under way by 4 December. Tropical cyclone Seven is pictured east of Sri Lanka, heading north-west Photograph: Noaa/Noaa

Looking down from space on an erupting volcano in Kamchatka, Russia, on 8 December. Clouds fringe the snow-covered mountain, but an opening at the summit reveals a ribbon of lava flowing down the northwestern flank. A white plume trailing to the east is probably steam mixed with ash Photograph: Nasa/Nasa

In this image taken on 9 December the ash plume is up to 50 km (31 miles) wide Photograph: Noaa

A winter storm in the deep south of the United States on 11 December left several inches of rarely seen snow across Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, closing schools and businesses Photograph: Noaa/Noaa

This natural colour image of snow still on the ground from just north of New Orleans, Louisiana, to north of Jackson, Mississippi was captured the next day Photograph: Nasa/Nasa

Typhoon Dolphin was just east of the Philippines on December 15. When this image was taken it was moving north at 10kph (6mph) with sustained winds of 170kph Photograph: Noaa/Noaa

The Caribbean island of Montserrat saw an eruption on 17 December. In this image the ash plume is extending south from the volcano Photograph: Noaa/Noaa