Floating refuse reveals ocean currents that in turn show where the world’s oceans mix and where they stay relatively discrete.
At some point, we all had to memorize the names of Earth’s oceans. But in reality all this water is connected. So how do we know where one body begins and another ends? Just follow the trash — because the location of seafaring garbage can be used to define the oceans’ borders.
Historically speaking, the planet’s waters have been partitioned into discrete oceans for reasons that are geographical, historical, even cultural. To approach the problem from a more anatomical perspective, researchers came up with a model of how surface waters move, which is where the rubbish comes in. Flotillas of flotsam are formed by currents that gather the garbage in large floating patches. But the currents also create barriers that minimize mixing between different ocean regions.
Photo: EPA
照片：歐新社
By modeling these currents, researchers have redefined the borders of the ocean basins based on how readily their waters mix. They find, for example, that a sliver of the Indian Ocean is really part of the south Pacific.
The work should help track ocean debris or even the spread of spilled oil. And it could change the way we see our seas.
(Courtesy of Liberty Times)
海洋漂浮垃圾揭露洋流走向，同時也指出世界海洋板塊在哪裡接合、在哪裡分開。
有些時候，我們必須記住地球上的不同海洋的名字。但事實上，這些海域全部相連。如此說來，我們如何知道海洋某一個板塊從哪裡開始、到哪裡結束？只要跟著海洋垃圾走—因為海洋垃圾的位置可以用來界定海洋板塊的邊界。
以歷史觀點來說，地球上的幾個海域是基於地理的、歷史的，甚至是文化的理由而區分。以更傾向解剖學的觀點來看這個問題，研究人員提出一套觀察表面水層如何流動的模型。也就是海洋垃圾從哪裡進來。漂浮垃圾是經由洋流聚集大量漂流物而來。但洋流也創造了障礙，將不同海域之間的接合最小化。
藉由建立這些洋流的模型，研究人員以洋流多快混合為理論依據，重新界定了海洋盆地的邊界。他們發現，舉例來說，印度洋的一塊碎片帶，其實是南太平洋的一部分。
這項研究工作也能幫助追蹤海洋垃圾，甚至是漏油的擴散範圍。而這可能改變我們觀看海洋的方式。
（自由時報提供／翻譯：李信漢）
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