Cloud Vortices and Ship Tracks off Aleutian Islands, Alaska

A fantastic array of clouds fills this true-color Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) image of the Aleutian Islands on July 3, 2003. The islands trail of the southern end of the Alaska Peninsula, separating the Bering Sea to the north and the northern Pacific Ocean to the south. In the image, the dissolving swirls of ship tracks are visible at left center edge, while surrounding the islands, the clouds are spun into eddies and vortices. Credit: Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team, NASA/GSFC