Wave clouds near Ile aux Cochons.
March 25, 2012 - Wave clouds near Ile aux Cochons. This photograph illustrates the formation of wave clouds in the wake or downwind side of Ile aux Cochons (Isle of Pigs) located in the Southern Indian Ocean. The island itself, of which only a part of the eastern coastline is visible at center, is volcanic in origin with a summit elevation of 775 meters above sea level. The summit elevation is high enough for the land surface to interact with cloud layers and winds flowing past the island. Two major cloud layers are visible; a lower, more uniform layer consists of roughly parallel cloud streets that suggest a westerly flow pattern of air. When the air mass encounters the Ile aux Cochons, moisture-laden air rises and cools, causing more water vapor to condense into clouds. As the air mass passes over the summit of Ile aux Cochons and descends, it may encounter alternating moist and dry air layers, enabling the formation of the discontinuous chevron-shaped wave clouds in the wake of the island. While their appearance suggests that the clouds are forming in the wake of the island and moving eastwards, in fact it is the air mass that is moving, with clouds forming in regions of moist air and dissipating in dry regions.
Size: 3900px × 2589px
Photo credit: © Stocktrek Images / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
Keywords: airflow, antarctic, atmosphere, aux, cloud, clouds, cochons, earth, flowing, formation, geography, horizontal, ile, indian, internal, island, moisture, motion, ocean, outdoors, pattern, photography, pig, science, space, streets, view, wave, waves
