Beautiful Science: British Library,  The Folio Society Gallery.

http://www.bl.uk/whatson/exhibitions/beautiful-science/

Amongst the well curated exhibition charting the rise (pun intended) of infographics, there were some interesting pieces on the science of water:

Cholera infections

Different method for visualising data can be very, very used. Dr. John Snow plotted the distribution of Cholera deaths in London’s SoHo on a map. He determined that an unusually high number of deaths were taking place near a water pump on Broad Street. snow-cholera-mapThis became the basis of his hypothesis that cholera infections occurred through drinking water.

Visualisation shows Trade Winds & ocean surface currents

Edmond Halley, FRS  of “Halley’s Comet” fame also some interesting work on trade winds. This etching from 1686 shows trade wind & monsoons that were so vital for commerce as well as the variation of the magnetic compass.

atmospheresscienceatsea1

From Earth to Space

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio

Perpetual-Ocean-c-NASA-Goddard-Space-Flight-Center-Scientific-Visualization-Studio-2011-1024x344

Perpetual Ocean (c) NASA, Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio, 2011. The striking animation by NASA visualises the flow of ocean surface currents from June 2005 to December 2007.

http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003800/a003827/

Florence Nightingale’s Rose Digram

Also on show was Florence Nightingale’s famous rose digram, depicting the Causes of Mortality in the Army in the East.

Diagram-of-the-Causes-of-Mortality-in-the-Army-in-the-East-Florence-Nightingale.-London-1858.-small

My favourite water infographic

ch870301

Notes: Beautiful science 01 April 14