Ocean eddies likened to black holes

MIT Technology Review : Vortices in turbulent fluids on Earth are mathematically equivalent to black holes, according to research by George Haller of ETH Zürich and Francisco Beron-Vera of the University of Miami in Florida. Using satellite images of the South Atlantic Ocean, the two researchers studied the eddies formed when the Agulhas current, which flows down the east coast of Africa, turns back on itself. They found that those rotating bodies of fluid behave like coherent islands in an incoherent flow and prevent anything from escaping—much like a black hole, whose photon sphere traps light. Their findings could further the understanding of how ocean currents transport material, such as oil or garbage, over vast distances.