Cloud vortices around Jan Mayen
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Image ID | 81 |
| Acquisition date | 25-Dec-1987 | |
| Over head time | 09:38:00 | |
| Satellite Sensor | avhrr | |
| Sensor Channel(s) | 4 |
Cloud braids or vortices are common when low winds blowing over the flat sea surface are disrupted by an obstacle such as an island. Jan Mayen, an isolated volcanic island located about 650km northeast of Iceland in the North Atlantic Ocean, provides such an obstacle. Its Beerenberg volcano rises about 2200m in height providing a significant impediment to wind flow and is a common location to find cloud vortices. Icebergs calving off the east coast of Greenland can be seen in the top left of the image while a section of Iceland is visible in the lower left corner.
