Von Karman vortices. Terra satellite image of von Karman vortices (best seen at top left) in clouds over the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa. These eddies form when fluid flows over and around objects. The phenomenon can be observed in bodies of water, but happens on a massive scale in the Earths atmosphere when prevailing winds, in this case the trade winds, hit obstructions such as islands. Photographed by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) in April 2004.
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