File:Cloud Vortices over the Canary Islands (MODIS 2020-03-01).jpg
Original file (3,968 × 3,280 pixels, file size: 1.83 MB, MIME type: image/jpeg)
Captions
Summary
[edit]DescriptionCloud Vortices over the Canary Islands (MODIS 2020-03-01).jpg |
English: Like most islands created by volcanic activity, the topography of the Canary Islands is rugged; the islands jut sharply out of the Atlantic Ocean, rising more than 4,000 feet (1,200 meters) at their peak. Tenerife Island claims the highest point, at 3,718 meters (12,198 feet).
Positioned just off the coast of Africa, the Canary Islands are in the path of near-constant trade winds. The combination of fast-flowing wind and the flat, cliff-like faces on the tall peaks creates the perfect setting for turbulent air flow. When clouds are present, the patterns that rise from the air bouncing off the unmoving mountains may be seen from space. On February 27, 2020, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on board NASA’s Terra satellite acquired a true-color image of cloud vortices over the Canary Islands. Known as von Kármán vortices, such swirls were named for Theodore von Kármán, the first scientist to describe the formation of such spiral eddies. These patterns can form nearly anywhere that fluid flow is disturbed by an object. In this case, the unique flow occurs as winds rush past the tall peaks on the volcanic islands. As winds are diverted around these high areas, the disturbance in the flow propagates downstream in the form of vortices that alternate their direction of rotation. |
||
Date | Taken on 27 February 2020 | ||
Source |
Cloud Vortices over the Canary Islands (direct link)
|
||
Author | MODIS Land Rapid Response Team, NASA GSFC |
This media is a product of the Terra mission Credit and attribution belongs to the mission team, if not already specified in the "author" row |
Licensing
[edit]Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
This file is in the public domain in the United States because it was solely created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". (See Template:PD-USGov, NASA copyright policy page or JPL Image Use Policy.) | ||
Warnings:
|
File history
Click on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time.
Date/Time | Thumbnail | Dimensions | User | Comment | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
current | 03:17, 17 February 2024 | 3,968 × 3,280 (1.83 MB) | OptimusPrimeBot (talk | contribs) | #Spacemedia - Upload of http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/images/image03012020_250m.jpg via Commons:Spacemedia |
You cannot overwrite this file.
File usage on Commons
There are no pages that use this file.