STS042-75-15

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Spacecraft nadir point: 37.7° N, 10.1° W

Photo center point: 35.5° N, 5.5° W

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Nadir to Photo Center: East

Spacecraft Altitude: 160 nautical miles (296km)
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Image Caption:
STS042-75-015 Strait of Gibraltar (36.0! N, 5.5! W) This
oblique photograph of the sunglint pattern, photographed during
STS-42, shows a group of seven solitons being generated in the
Tarifa Narrows, Strait of Gibraltar. The solitons form as tidal
currents pass over the relatively shallow Camarinal Sill (depth =
150-300 m), located in the center of the Strait. The resulting
turbulence perturbs the density interface between the surface
layer of lower-density Atlantic Ocean water (36 ppt salinity) and
underlying higher-density Mediterranean water (38 ppt salinity).
Once formed, the solitons propagate eastward into the Mediter-
ranean. A second set of solitons, generated by the previous
tide, is also seen propagating through the western Mediterranean.
The photograph was taken on 26 January at 09:28 GMT using a
Hasselblad camera equipped with natural color transparency film
and a 250 mm lens.