Gravity Waves, Indian Ocean

The gravity-wave clouds in this image look almost like a fingerprint on the stratocumulus cloud layer below them. This intriguing pattern occurs when air below moves vertically to disturb a stable cloud layer, causing a ripple effect.

The disturbance can be caused by features of the terrain below, such as a mountain range, but these waves overlie the Indian Ocean and are more likely the result of a vertical updraft caused by a thunderstorm or some other atmospheric instability.

The best viewpoint for this phenomenon is probably from space. This natural-color image from the multi-angle imaging spectro-radiometer aboard NASA’s Terra satellite was captured in October 2003.

Image: NASA