Abstract <p>Atmospheric aerosol transported from deserts is an important factor in oceanography, which affects the productivity of ecosystems, global biochemical cycles, and climate. We study main optical characteristics of aerosol over the Black Sea derived from measurements onboard Professor Vodyanitsky research vessel (130th and 134th cruises) in March–April 2024 and 2025. In situ, satellite, and model data for days with intense dust transfer from the Sahara Desert are analyzed. It is shown that the concentrations of suspended particles measured with an Espada M3 detector at the time of dust aerosol detection over the region under study exceeded the background values by more than three times. For days with dust transport, the photometric data differed by more than 2.5 times from the background values for the Black Sea region. The results supplement the set of optical characteristics of the atmosphere over the coastal zone and the Black Sea water area and can be useful in verification of the accuracy of standard atmospheric correction algorithms for satellite data.</p>