A global view of the ocean currents

Sea surface height gradient magnitude—a relative of the current speed—in a yearlong 1/8° simulation using the GOLD model, courtesy of Harper Simmons. The wiggles are currents and eddies; the rapid flickering is the tide; the small-scale washboard patterns are internal waves. From work in progress comparing real and modeled surface drifters by Lilly, Early, and Simmons.