interesting how the west coast of America and South America have the lease amount of activity
Posted on 04/01/2012 9:53:45 PM PDT by LibWhacker
Watch in awe as the world's eddying ocean currents swirl in a Van Gogh-esque grandeur.
Click here to watch the three minute "Perpetual Ocean" video on YouTube
A stunning new animated video produced by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Earth showcases the flow of the world's ocean currents swirling in a captivating splendor. The video, titled "Perpetual Ocean," takes an astronaut's view, as if the viewer is in a waltz-like dance orbiting around the Earth.
The flow of the ocean currents in the presentation are derived from real data collected over two years spanning from 2005 to 2007. The visualization does not include a narration or annotations, but is accompanied by a hypnotic soundtrack. The music, together with the Van Gogh-esque swirls in the oceans, generates a mesmerizing, visceral experience for the viewer. Be prepared for the intense desire to press play again.
Data for the video is based on the MIT general circulation model, which synthesizes satellite and in-situ data of the global ocean and sea-ice flow, according to NASA's Science Visualization Studio. Only the surface flows are used in this visualization, but the dark patterns under the ocean represent the undersea bathymetry. Topographic land exaggeration is 20x and bathymetric exaggeration is 40x.
More video options are also available for download at the Studio's website, including a 20 minute version of ocean flows at 30 frames per second without the soundtrack, in case you're looking to completely lose yourself (and your day!) in the presentation.
Overall the video shows just how complex and vital the oceans are, and the intricacy by which heat and carbon is transferred and transported. It's also fascinating to follow the tiny details of the currents regionally. Try imagining yourself as a tiny paper boat and see where they might take you. The exercise may reveal an amazing amount about how connected faraway places really are via the world's ocean currents. It's a global world indeed.
interesting how the west coast of America and South America have the lease amount of activity
This vid settles the legend about the opposing swirling direction of water going down bathtub drains in the northern vs. southern hemispheres.
Lol!
Caveat emptor. Hollywood and ManBearPig are probably involved too.
I take all that comes out of NASA and say NOAA with a grain of salt in recent years. The agenda has been so well elucidated. Time for a break. It is din din time for me.
Thanks Ernest.
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