The von Karman vortex street is a series of vortices shed periodically in the wake of a bluff body. Although they are commonly observed in the lab behind cylinders, they also occur in nature, as seen here in the wake of Juan Fernandez Islands near Chile. The strong equatorward wind creates steady flow over the mountainous island, creating a pattern in the clouds that stretches 10,000 times longer than vortex streets created in a laboratory. (via freshphotons)
Island Vortex Street
