Science Visualized Oceans

Here’s where 17,000 ocean research buoys ended up

Visualization combines 35 years’ worth of tracking data into one buoy ballet

visualization of ocean buoy movement

BUOY BALLET  The journeys of thousands of ocean buoys (white dots) visualize the ocean currents that feed into Earth’s swirling ocean gyres, also known as ocean garbage patches.

NASA Scientific Visualization Studio

By Thomas Sumner

- More than 2 years ago

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Garbage in, garbage out. But where does all that garbage go? In the oceans, floating bits of debris — everything from plastic bags to Legos — tend to ride along ocean currents to a common destination: one of five major whirling ocean gyres, also known as the ocean garbage patches.