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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