Island of Guadalupe

This Envisat image, acquired on 15 June 2011, shows the volcanic island of Guadalupe peeking through the clouds. The island lies in the Pacific Ocean around 250 km off the west coast of Mexico's Baja California peninsula. The swirling clouds to the south of the island are the result of a meteorological phenomenon known as a 'von Karman vortex'. As wind-driven clouds encounter Guadalupe, they flow around the high volcanic outcrop to form the large spinning eddies that can clearly be seen in the image.