A Variety of Vortices

Winds parted around the Kuril Islands and left behind a string of vortices in this satellite image from April 2025. This pattern of alternating vortices is known as a von Karman vortex street. The varying directions of the vortex streets show that winds across the islands ranged from southeasterly to southerly. Notice also that the size of the island dictates the size of the vortices. Larger islands create larger vortices, and smaller islands have smaller and more frequent vortices. (Image credit: M. Garrison; via NASA Earth Observatory)

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