Located in the southern Indian Ocean roughly midway between Africa, Australia, and Antarctica, the Kerguelen Islands experience a fierce climate, with incessant, howling winds and rain or snow nearly every day. At a latitude of about 49 degrees South, the islands lie in the path of the “Furious Fifties,” a belt of westerly winds that whip around the Southern Hemisphere, mostly unimpeded by land.
This astronaut photo from January 6, 2009, shows giant kelp beds in the waters surrounding Mac Murdo and Howe Islands—2 of the 300 islands that make up the Kerguélen Archipelago in the southern Indian Ocean.
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.