This image shows both internal waves and surface waves on the Indian Ocean near the Andaman Islands on March 6, 2007.
Published Jul 10, 2010
This distinctive V-shaped wave pattern can emerge behind mountains, ships, and ducks.
Published Dec 17, 2017
When tides, currents, and gravity move water masses over seafloor features, they can create wave actions within the ocean.
Published Feb 10, 2020
An intricate interaction of waves shapes the clouds in the North Sea, making patterns that echo basic principles of nature.
Published Nov 25, 2011
This astronaut view of blending air masses, wind fields, and light reflections is a combination of beauty and of insight about the environment.
Published Jul 22, 2013
The rise and fall of colliding air columns can make cloud patterns—gravity waves—similar to a boat’s wake.
Published Jul 14, 2016
NASA scientists are using a modern version of a 150-year-old photography technique to capture images of shock waves created by supersonic jets.
Published Oct 7, 2015
Surf’s up! This image is a mosaic of two photographs taken by astronauts aboard the International Space Station viewing large internal waves in the Strait of Gibraltar. These subsurface internal waves occur at depths of about 100 m, but appear in the sunglint as giant swells flowing eastward into the Mediterranean Sea. The narrow Strait of Gibraltar is the gatekeeper for water exchange between the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. A top layer of warm, relatively fresh water from the Atlantic Ocean flows eastward into the Mediterranean Sea. In return, a lower, colder, saltier layer of water flows westward into the North Atlantic ocean. A density boundary separates the layers at about 100 m depth.
Published Jun 21, 2004
Sunglint shows textures and patterns on the surface of the ocean that would otherwise be invisible.
Published Aug 9, 2013
