Stunning cloud vortices swirl off 6 different Atlantic islands — Earth from space

A satellite images of multiple vortices swirling behind islands in the Atlantic Ocean
Six different sets of "von Kármán vortices" were spotted swirling off islands in the Atlantic Ocean in this 2015 satellite photo. (Image credit: NASA/Terra satellite)
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Where is it? Atlantic Ocean

What's in the photo? Streams of von Kármán vortices flowing off multiple islands

Which satellite took the photo? NASA's Terra satellite

When was it taken? May 20, 2015

This striking satellite photo shows multiple examples of a rare meteorological phenomenon, known as "von Kármán vortices," swirling off at least six different islands in the Atlantic Ocean. Very rarely have so many of these swirling cloud trails been seen at once and over such a large area.

Von Kármán vortices occur when a prevailing wind encounters a landmass, disturbing the airflow and creating "a double row of vortices which alternate their direction of rotation," according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). These vortices then propagate downstream of the landmass and become visible when clouds get caught up in them.

In this photo, giant cloud swirls collectively cover an area of around 260,000 square miles (670,000 square km), making this one of the most widespread examples of concurrent vortices ever seen, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.

The most intricate swirls in the photo are seen in the vortices off Madeira, a Portuguese archipelago, at the top of the image (see below). Here, the high concentration of clouds reveals the detailed movements of the disturbed air in exceptional detail.

Related: See all the best images of Earth from space

Satellite image of cloud vortices swirling behind islands in the Atlantic Ocean

The swirls trailing off Madeira were the most striking example of von Kármán vortices in the aerial image. (Image credit: NASA/Terra satellite)

Less-defined swirling trails are also seen trailing off the Spanish Canary Islands. From left to right, these are: La Palma, El Hierro, La Gomera, Tenerife and Gran Canaria. If you look closely (see below), you can see that the vortices from La Gomera and Tenerife interfere with each other, almost canceling them out completely.

Madeira and the Canary Islands are among the best places on Earth to see von Kármán vortices, according to the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT). This is because they have high peaks, high temperatures and are reasonably separated from their respective continents.

These swirls are also commonly spotted coming from Guadalupe, a group of six French-owned islands in the Caribbean, on the opposite side of the Atlantic. On rare occasions, the swirls have also coincided with other phenomena, such as a warped "double rainbow."

Satellite image of cloud vortices swirling behind islands in the Atlantic Ocean

Five different Canary Islands were producing vortices at the time but they were not as impressive as the swirls coming from Madeira. (Image credit: NASA/Terra satellite)

While the vortices mostly occur in tropical climates, they can also be seen in the Arctic, such as on Svalbard's Bear Island, where they can sometimes appear alongside swirling algal blooms.

On average, a pair of von Kármán vortices is created somewhere on Earth every eight hours, according to EUMESTAT.

Harry Baker
Senior Staff Writer

Harry is a U.K.-based senior staff writer at Live Science. He studied marine biology at the University of Exeter before training to become a journalist. He covers a wide range of topics including space exploration, planetary science, space weather, climate change, animal behavior and paleontology. His recent work on the solar maximum won "best space submission" at the 2024 Aerospace Media Awards and was shortlisted in the "top scoop" category at the NCTJ Awards for Excellence in 2023. He also writes Live Science's weekly Earth from space series.

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