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April 29, 2023 - Vortices behind Isla Gudalupe
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On April 27, 2023, the combination of wind, widespread cumulus cloud, and a tall volcanic island combined to create a gorgeous pattern on the lee side of Isla Guadalupe. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a true-color image of the fanciful pattern of snake-like swirls spun over the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California, Mexico.
Isla Guadalupe (Guadalupe Island) sits just off the edge of the North American continental plate just 160 miles west of Mexico. Only 22 miles long, it is a rugged island, with the tallest volcanic peak jutting upwards 4,200 feet above sea level—plenty tall enough to interrupt the flow of wind that frequently roars across the island. It’s this disruption of wind flow that creates the spiraling patterns behind the island.
In 1912, physicist Theodore von Kármán detailed a process that makes long, spiraling cloud patterns in the sky. Now called “von Kármán vortices”, they occur when strong winds strike and then are diverted around a blunt, high-profile area, such as the tall mountain on Isla Guadalupe. As the air pushes past both sides of the mountain, it begins to spin, creating alternating directions of rotation. When a layer of cumulus cloud sits behind the island, they are caught up in the swirls, creating the gorgeous patterns seen in this image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 4/27/2023
Resolutions:
1km (185 KB), 500m (487.9 KB), 250m (351.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
On April 27, 2023, the combination of wind, widespread cumulus cloud, and a tall volcanic island combined to create a gorgeous pattern on the lee side of Isla Guadalupe. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Aqua satellite captured a true-color image of the fanciful pattern of snake-like swirls spun over the Pacific Ocean west of Baja California, Mexico.
Isla Guadalupe (Guadalupe Island) sits just off the edge of the North American continental plate just 160 miles west of Mexico. Only 22 miles long, it is a rugged island, with the tallest volcanic peak jutting upwards 4,200 feet above sea level—plenty tall enough to interrupt the flow of wind that frequently roars across the island. It’s this disruption of wind flow that creates the spiraling patterns behind the island.
In 1912, physicist Theodore von Kármán detailed a process that makes long, spiraling cloud patterns in the sky. Now called “von Kármán vortices”, they occur when strong winds strike and then are diverted around a blunt, high-profile area, such as the tall mountain on Isla Guadalupe. As the air pushes past both sides of the mountain, it begins to spin, creating alternating directions of rotation. When a layer of cumulus cloud sits behind the island, they are caught up in the swirls, creating the gorgeous patterns seen in this image.
Image Facts
Satellite:
Aqua
Date Acquired: 4/27/2023
Resolutions:
1km (185 KB), 500m (487.9 KB), 250m (351.2 KB)
Bands Used: 1,4,3
Image Credit:
MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC
