Cloud Streets Over The Atlantic
In the midst of a cold snap that sent temperatures 20 to 40 degrees below normal across much of the United States, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of cloud streets over the Atlantic Ocean on January 7, 2014. Cloud streets are long parallel bands of cumulus clouds that form when cold air blows over warmer waters and a warmer air layer (or temperature inversion) rests over the top of both. The comparatively warm water gives up heat and moisture to the cold air above, and columns of heated air called thermals naturally rise through the atmosphere. The temperature inversion acts like a lid, so when the rising thermals hit it, they roll over and loop back on themselves, creating parallel cylinders of rotating air. As this happens, the moisture cools and condenses into flat-bottomed, fluffy-topped cumulus clouds that line up parallel to the direction of the prevailing wind.
Size: 4943px × 3900px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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