A stunning visualisation explores the intricate circulatory system of our oceans

Mike's Notes

This stunning video from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre is an excellent example of a complex system. It has everything.

• Fluid mechanics
• Emergence

I discovered the video in a recent edition of Aeon Weekly.

It also shows how this circulation system can change and has changed.

Resources

• https://aeon.co/videos/a-stunning-visualisation-explores-the-intricate-circulatory-system-of-our-oceans
• https://www.youtube.com/@NASAGoddard
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5-s6O8qyvE

References

• Reference

Repository

• Home > Ajabbi Research > Library > Subscriptions > Aeon Weekly
• Home > Handbook > 

Last Updated

18/05/2025

A stunning visualisation explores the intricate circulatory system of our oceans

By: Kathleen Gaeta Greer

Aeon: 15/05/2025

This video from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center provides an unprecedented look at the intricate, interconnected flow of ocean currents around the world. The visualisation was created using a NASA model built from global data gathered from a wide range of inputs, including buoys and spacecrafts. The resulting imagery illustrates how factors including planetary physics, heat and salinity propel the ceaseless oceanic movement of this global ‘conveyer belt’. As the video zooms in on some of the most active and interesting currents around the globe, the NASA oceanographer Josh Willis details how this aquatic circulatory system affects human life, from fisheries to regional climates.

• Video by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
• Producer: Kathleen Gaeta Greer