MSGID: 1:317/3 644d5b44
PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08
TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08
April 29, 2023 - Vortices behind Isla Gudalupe

   Isla
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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



https://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/individual.php?db_date=2023-04-29
 
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