Image Name: Karman Vortices
Image Date: September 1999
Image Source: Landsat 7
Scale: 1"= 4.3 miles(6.9km)

Description: Each of these swirling clouds is a result of a meteorological phenomenon known as a Karman vortex. These vortices appeared over Alexander Selkirk Island in the southern Pacific Ocean. Rising precipitously from the surrounding waters, the island's highest point is nearly a mile (1.6 km) above sea level. As wind-driven clouds encounter this obstacle, they flow around it to form these large, spinning eddies.

Ordering ID: KARMANVORTICES