The South Sandwich Islands are a string of small volcanic peaks in a remote part of the South Atlantic Ocean near Antarctica and South America. The three tallest islands—Saunders, Montagu, and Bristol—approach at least 1000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level.
As shown by this natural-color satellite image, that was enough height to disrupt air masses flowing around the islands and to create an interlocking series of mountain-wave clouds. The image was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite around 11 a.m. local time on February 5, 2020, as westerly winds blew over the islands.
“Imagine being on a motor boat looking back at triangular, banded patterns forming behind you as wake waves ripple through the water,” said NASA research meteorologist Galina Wind. “This is the same effect, except the mountains are stationary and the surrounding air is rushing by at a good clip. The moving air hits the still mountain in the same way the prow of a moving boat hits still water.”
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Image via NASA Earth Observatory