Known as von Kármán vortices, the remarkable curling patterns can form nearly anywhere that fluid flow is disturbed by an object.
Published Jun 7, 2015
Von Kármán vortices make another appearance near the Canary Islands.
Published Jul 11, 2020
Winds flowing around Heard Island in the southwestern Indian Ocean shaped the clouds into a line of spirals.
Published May 8, 2016
A common cloud pattern, known as von Kármán vortices, makes an appearance at night.
Published Aug 19, 2019
Clouds, winds, and volcanic islands collaborated on giant paisley patters over the southeastern Pacific Ocean.
Published Feb 5, 2013
Wind flowing past an island created this spiraling cloud pattern off the coast of Greenland.
Published Apr 13, 2012
This Valentine in the sky is the visible expression of fluid dynamics at work.
Published Feb 14, 2019
The Aqua satellite captured this image of von Kármán vortices downwind of Isla Socorro.
Published Aug 19, 2013
Acquired October 18, 2012, this image shows a dissipating storm and spiral eddies over the western Pacific Ocean.
Published Oct 18, 2012
Clouds off the Chilean coast show a unique pattern called a “von Karman vortex street.”
Published May 30, 2000
The volcanic Aleutian Islands stretch far from North America into the Pacific Ocean like stepping stones to Asia.
Published Jun 7, 2014
Clouds swirled in the southern Atlantic Ocean, northwest of St. Helena, in mid-November 2012.
Published Nov 25, 2012
Chains of swirling clouds stream behind islands in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Published Aug 13, 2017
Ships and islands contributed to an intricate cloud pattern over the northern Pacific Ocean in April 2013.
Published May 5, 2013
