International Space Station photograph captures giant 'underwater' wave spread over hundreds of miles in the Caribbean Sea

John Hall
The Independent
Sat, 09 Feb 2013 05:46 UTC

© Earth Observatory, ISS

A stunning new image taken from the International Space Station shows a huge 'underwater' wave moving through the Caribbean.

The giant wave, believed to be hundreds of miles in width, was captured by a photographer on board the space station and appears particularly visually clear thanks to a beam of sunlight being reflected back to the camera at the exact moment the photo was taken.

The image, captured on January 18, shows a so-called 'internal wave' just to the north of the Caribbean island of Trinidad.

Internal waves are created by different water densities moving over ocean features such as underwater mountains or continental shelves.

The features create internal waves which can grow up to 100 metres in height and span hundreds of miles in width.

They have been reported to affect submarines, oil rigs, underwater cables and even passing aircraft, which can suffer drops in altitude. It is also believed that they have an impact on the planet's climate.