Vortex street off Revillagigedo Archipelago, North Pacific (afternoon overpass)
Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC
A braid of eddies behind the Revillagigedo Archipelago in the North Pacific have created the fanciful swirls in the clouds seen in these Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) images, acquired by the Terra (morning) and Aqua (afternoon) satellites on May 13, 2004. The eddies form as air moving near the surface of the ocean is forced up and around the islands. The pattern became more distinct through the day, with the afternoon image showing a much clearer vortex street.