Salinity and eddies in the Atlantic Ocean

Jonathan Gula, Laboratory of Physical and Spatial Oceanography (LOPS), University of Brest (UBO)

Salinity and eddies in the North Atlantic Ocean, obtained using a high-resolution numerical model (1 km). Ocean salinity is shown in color with contours showing superimposed vorticity. The map illustrates the impact of mesoscale (50–200 km) and small-scale (1–50 km) currents on salt transport and the large-scale structure of the ocean.

Chaos in the heart of cell phones

Emmanuel Boutillon and Titouan Gendron, Laboratory of Sciences and Technologies of Information, Communication, and Knowledge (Lab-STICC), Southern Brittany University (UBS)

These images, generated entirely by computer, reveal a fascinating phenomenon: the extreme sensitivity of a process that is invisible but essential to our cell phones. These are Turbo Codes, an error-correcting code invented in Brest in the 1990s and now used worldwide to transmit your calls and data without error. By repeating this process thousands of times, tiny initial variations give rise to unexpected, almost artistic visual structures. Like the flap of a butterfly's wing triggering a storm, these iterations create complex patterns, somewhere between order and chaos. Proof that technology, pushed to its limits, can also become a source of beauty.

Where Are We Now?

Filip Lestan and Tommy H. Clausen, Nord University, Norway

Understanding the economy often requires navigating vast, complex datasets that track the behavior of hundreds of firms over time. Our project visualizes real-time firm-level business conditions, turning abstract numbers into a dynamic, intuitive landscape. Each line represents a single firm, colored and shaped to show its contribution to overall economic activity. Peaks, dips, and waves reveal collective trends, while individual fluctuations highlight the diversity of firm behavior. By smoothing data and adding subtle variations, we create a visually striking yet accurate portrayal of economic dynamics. The visualization allows viewers to explore correlations, divergences, and emergent patterns, offering insights that traditional charts cannot convey. Beyond academic analysis, it engages the public, policymakers, and educators by transforming complex economic information into an accessible, almost living narrative. This work demonstrates how “big data” can be both scientifically informative and visually captivating, bridging the gap between research and society.

The daily ballet of marine organisms

Gildas Roudaut, Anne Lebourges Dhaussy and Jérémie Habasque, French National Research Institute for Development (IRD), Laboratory of environmental marine sciences (LEMAR)

This image, an “echogram,” shows the presence of organisms between the ocean surface at the top and a depth of 600 meters at the bottom over a 24-hour cycle. Ultrasound waves at several frequencies, emitted vertically by a sounder under a ship, are reflected differently by marine organisms such as fish, crustaceans, cephalopods, and gelatinous organisms. These reflections are translated into colors according to frequency and intensities according to the density of the organisms.
The phenomenon of vertical migration observed every day in all oceans is clearly visible on this echogram. The green and pink diagonal line on the left indicates that some of the organisms that feed at the surface at night flee from predators at dawn by diving to depths of around 500 meters. At dusk, the diagonal line on the right indicates a return to the surface to feed. The diffuse layers and concentrated schools reveal the fascinating complexity of everyday marine life.

Herbarium data galaxy

Joanna Korybut-Orlowska and Sławomir Nowak, Herbarium Universitatis Gedanensis, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Poland

As herbaria are digitized, they must manage vast amounts of natural history data, with each specimen identified by a unique barcode. In the UGDA Herbarium, these data form the Galaxy - a visual map where each sheet becomes a point with its own coordinates. The color of a point indicates its plant family, while brightness reflects its age and historical value. Thin lines connect specimens collected by the same botanist, forming collector constellations that reveal research routes, field strategies, and patterns of exploration.
This galactic view is not only visually striking but also highly practical for collection management. It helps identify gaps, highlight areas needing supplementation, track the history of acquisitions, and support data verification and organization. In this way, the herbarium becomes more than a plant archive - it is a coherent, dynamic system where data, history, and biodiversity come together in an organized and meaningful whole.