Enormous whirlpools are not simply the work of overactive imaginations. There are several spots in the world, including Japan’s Naruto Strait, that regularly see these spectacular vortices. Naruto’s whirlpools are Keep reading
Tag: ocean currents
Colorful Tides
This false-color satellite image — the recent winner of NASA Earth Observatory’s Tournament Earth 2020 — shows sands and seaweed off the coast of the Bahamas. Ocean currents and tides Keep reading
Swirling Blooms
Every summer, as the ice melts, the waters of the Chukchi Sea off the Alaskan coast come alive with phytoplankton blooms. In satellite images like this one, they can look Keep reading
Tornadoes, Fire, and Ice
It’s time for another look at breaking fluid dynamics research with the latest FYFD/JFM video! This time around, we tackle some geophysical fluid dynamics, like listening to the sounds newborn Keep reading
Mediterranean Currents
Ocean currents play a major role in the weather and climate of our planet. This video shows a simulation of the surface ocean currents in the Mediterranean and Atlantic over Keep reading
Coastal Upwelling
Cool temperatures and abundant nutrients make the waters off the western coast of North America especially biologically productive. This image is a composite of satellite data highlighting large phytoplankton blooms Keep reading
Underwater Currents
Like the atmosphere, the ocean is constantly in motion, churned by currents that often go unnoticed by humans watching the surface. Filmmaker Julie Gautier and free diver Guillaume Néry demonstrate the Keep reading
Interrupting Sediments
The pier at Progreso extends 6.5 kilometers into the Gulf of Mexico, creating an artificial obstruction to ocean flow and sediment transport near the shore. The first 2 kilometers of Keep reading
Phytoplankton Flow Viz
Nutrient-rich waters off Patagonia in South America blossom with phytoplankton in this satellite image. When present in large quantities, these microscopic photosynthesizers lend a green hue to the water. They Keep reading
Double-Diffusive Convection
Convection can be driven several mechanisms, including temperature and concentration differences. The video above shows convection between a a layer of sucrose solution and a layer of saline solution. Initially, Keep reading