Real-time Visualization of Unsteady Vector Fields

We propose a new technique to visualize dense vector fields associated with unsteady fluid flows. This technique is based on a Lagrangian-Eulerian Advection (LEA) scheme, and it enables animations with high spatio-temporal correlation at interactive rates. We demonstrate the efficiency and efficacy of the technique in applications to numerical simulation of a shock interacting with a longitudinal vortex, and of ocean circulation in the Gulf of Mexico. The simplicity of the data structures and the facility of implementation suggest that LEA could become a useful component of any scientific visualization toolkit concerned with the display of unsteady flows.