"Convective Cells"
"Karman Vortex" Cloud Structure (KVS)
The clouds of this structure look like a set of organized turbulences
within the layer of "Close Cells" structure that normally consist of Stratocumulus
and Stratus clouds.
Each swirl turns (seen from above) in the clockwise direction on the left
side of the thereby formed cloud street and against the clockwise direction
on the right side.
This structure emerges usually above the sea surface if
the temperature of the cold air gradually rises.
This leads to the strong flowing constant wind, which blows on the lower
level.
If the wind has a significant barrier in the wind direction (normally
a hilly island with the summit that raises some of meter more highly
than the cloud top height of the surrounding cloud layer), can a turbulence
street form.
The further away the barrier the turbulences spread, the bigger they appear.
Cloud top height and the other parameters do not differ from parameters
of the surrounding convective cloud structure.
This phenomenon is well-known as Karman vortex or Karman
turbulences. (Theodore
von Kármán [1881-1963] was a Hungarian engineer. He
is considered as a pioneer of the modern aerodynamics and the aviation
research.)
During the observation period this structure was seen only
in few places: at most above Canarias, Cabo Verde islands and over Aleutian
and Kuril islands, in addition, above Cheju, Guadalupe, January Mayen,
Alexander Selkirk, Heard and some other islands.
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Global occurrence
diagram of 'Karman Vortex' Structure
