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SlideShow Image 1187 / 2753 |  |
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Waves in the Messina strait seen by satellite
auteur: Nasa/GSFC/Novapix
référence: t-eusic-00017
Image Size 300 DPI: 31 * 43 cm
The Messina Strait is connecting the Tyrrhenian Sea with the Ionian Sea in Mediterranean sea. With 3 kilometers (2 miles) wide at its narrowest point it doesn’t grow very deep, only about 90 meters (300 feet). The Messina Strait’s strong currents can rip seaweed from the ocean floor. The main current runs from south to north, but a smaller current runs in the opposite direction. The currents alternate about every six hours, and the strait’s complicated wave patters can be seen from space. On August 11, 2003, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) on NASA’s Terra satellite took this picture of the Messina Strait. When this picture was taken, the Sun was at just the right angle to illuminate two sets of waves. The more obvious set appears as a series of concentric rings pushing toward the south. Perpendicular to the strong waves are shallower waves that give the water a rough appearance.The sprawling purple splotch near Sicily’s coast is the volcano Mount Etna.
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