In contrast with terrestrial ecology, life in the open ocean takes place in a landscape – the seascape – which changes on the same timescale of marine organisms. Currents and vortices (invisible to our eyes, but captured by models and satellites) evolve together with the animals they host. If the same happened on land, it would be as mountains and valleys appeared, moved, and disappeared while we walk across them.
Ocean currents from satellite altimetry (Aviso). Computation curtesy of F. d’Ovidio, LOCEAN-IPSL, Paris, France.
For more informations you can visit the home page of Francesco D’Ovidio :
https://skyros.locean-ipsl.upmc.fr/~dovidio/