It is not difficult to imagine that a gigantic volcanic eruption spewing thick clouds of ash and gas high into the atmosphere would change the weather. But these satellite images show that a small, steady, simmering eruption also affects the atmosphere.
Published Jan 31, 2008
An image from the remote South Sandwich Islands shows how volcanic emissions can create clouds, while the islands themselves deform those clouds.
Published Jun 23, 2012
Acquired November 23, 2009, this true-color image shows wave clouds formed by air currents passing over the South Sandwich Islands. The islands anchor the V-shaped clouds that spread out toward the east.
Published Nov 25, 2009
As winds streamed past the South Sandwich Islands, the disrupted flow created an interlocking series of wave clouds.
Published Feb 28, 2020
The volcanoes of the remote South Sandwich Islands make an ideal natural laboratory for studying how airborne particles alter clouds.
Published Jun 23, 2020Image of the Day Atmosphere Land Snow and Ice Remote Sensing
Due to their remote location, these volcanoes are some of the least studied in the world.
Published Oct 2, 2016
Acquired April 29, 2011, this natural-color image shows wakes created by the Juan Fernandez Islands off the coast of Chile.
Published May 31, 2011
An open-celled cloud over the Pacific Ocean had a shape reminiscent of a certain circular letter of the alphabet.
Published Sep 27, 2014
The troughs and ridges of atmospheric waves created a distinctive pattern in the clouds.
Published Nov 21, 2015
Acquired April 17, 2010, this natural-color image shows a network of open- and closed-cell clouds over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Peru.
Published Apr 28, 2010
Data collected by a sensor on the Aqua satellite reveals the global distribution of clouds.
Published May 8, 2015
Cloud shapes reveal the fluid-like nature of the atmosphere.
Published Apr 20, 2014
Actinoform clouds pop up off the western coast of Australia.
Published Feb 7, 2020
Whether a patch of clouds contains open or closed cells offers a clue about whether rain is falling below.
Published Feb 6, 2016
The island itself is almost too small see in this image, but it serves as the starting point for the clouds that flow toward the northeast in a giant V shape. Amsterdam Island is a volcanic summit, the northernmost volcano on the Antarctic tectonic plate.
Published Dec 30, 2005
These “hole punch” clouds were just as apparent from above as they were from below. This MODIS image shows a number of round holes in a blanket of cloud cover over Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. A few of the “holes” are elongated, with what appear to be smaller clouds inside them.
Published Jan 31, 2007
