The Canaries win Tournament: Earth 2014

This year’s winning photo in NASA’s Tournament: Earth is the Canary Islands again. This time all seven of them.

This photo was taken by NASA’s Terra satellite on June 15, 2013. The prevailing wind and current here comes from the north east. Downwind and downstream from each island, you can see a few wisps of cloud, and long shiny areas of sea.

“According to sailors’ guides to the area, winds on the leeward side of the Canary Islands often blow in the opposite direction of the prevailing winds. The play of land and wind can also create a funnel effect, speeding up air flow around the coasts. The swirling nature of the leeward wind field is shown in a long, helical trail of clouds stretching southwest from Tenerife (the second island from the right).”

Posted by sheila

Sheila came to La Palma with a six month contract and has stayed 24 years so far. She used to work as a software engineer at the observatory, but now she's a writer and Starlight guide.