Sunglint on the ocean surface can sometimes reveal different patterns in wave conditions. In the satellite photo above, we see the Canary Islands with wavering silvery wakes stretching to the southwest. The predominant wind direction over the islands is from the northeast. The rocky islands act as a wind-break, redirecting the flow and shadowing the ocean in their wake from much of it. As a result, fewer waves are stirred up in the islands’ wakes, thereby changing the local surface reflection properties and making this image possible. (Photo credit: NASA Earth Observatory)
Tag: satellite image
Stirred Up Sediment
Swirls of blue in the Great Lakes mark locations of recent autumn storms whose winds have stirred up sediment in the lakes. The silt and quartz sand acts as a tracer particle, making visible the circulation patterns of the lakes. In contrast, the green streaks mark locations of calmer winds and warmer temperatures where algae blooms have grown. Note the fundamental dissimilarity in their structures. Blue eddies turn over and mix in a fashion reminiscent of convective instabilities while the green blooms are far more uniform in structure. #
Island Vortices
The von Karman vortex street isn’t just found in the wake of cylinders in a lab. Wind moving over islands frequently creates the effect, as in this MODIS Aqua image of the coast of Baja California, Mexico. #
