What’s in the photo? Atmospheric vortices in the clouds and a swirling algal bloom in the ocean
Which satellite took the photo? NASA Aqua
When was it taken? July 13, 2023
This striking satellite shot shows a pair of simultaneous phenomena painting parallel swirls in the sea and sky surrounding Bear Island. The isolated land mass, also known as Bjørnøya, is located in Norway’s Svalbard archipelago and is surrounded by highly radioactive waters that may endanger local wildlife — which, ironically, does not include many bears.
In the upper left corner of the image, a gap in the clouds is trailed by a series of interlinked cloud swirls that appear to have been platted together like a pretzel. These swirls, known as von Kármán vortices, are formed when clouds get caught up in an airflow that has been disrupted by a tall landmass, most often above an ocean, according to NASA’s Earth Observatory.
