These Multi-angle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) nadir-camera images from April 23, 2000 and May 9, 2000 show cloud swirls, like delicatelace, forming patterns known as von Karman vortex streets. The turbulentatmospheric eddies form in the wake of an obstacle, in this instance the1050-meter-high summit on the island of Socorro, Mexico. The surroundingclouds make the vortex patterns visible. To the northeast, much subtlerdisturbances are associated with the tiny Isla San Benedicto. Bothislands are part of a group known as the Revillagigedo Archipelago, andare located about 400 kilometers equatorward of the southern tip of BajaCalifornia.
Each of these images is approximately 180 kilometers wide and 350kilometers long. The von Karman vortices are named for aerodynamicistTheodore von Karman, one of the founders of the Jet PropulsionLaboratory.
References & Resources
Image courtesy NASA/GSFC/JPL, MISR Team.
