4.Tropical Atlantic, Spiral Eddy

This shuttle-borne SIR-A radar image of a spiral eddy illustrates that eddy patterns can be imaged by sensors other than the film camera. Both the shear wall and the spiral eddy are clearly visible, emphasized by a dark, surface oil slick. This cyclonic eddy was observed over the Atlantic Ocean about 40 kilometers north of the Dominican Republic in November 1981. The image is a radar representation of sea surface roughness at a scale of several centimeters. The smoother areas reflect less of the incident radar beam back to the sensor.

STS-2, November 1981. #SIR-A Radar Data Take 24B

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