samthecookielord

spooksier

my friend took in a stray and she’s the cutest kitty ever but he named her oil so whenever he sends a picture of her me and my other friends look like we’re roleplaying as the US military

spooksier

spooksier

in our defense this is oil

clearjello

These were from Halloween! I just totally spaced and forgot to upload them 'til now :'D
More Halloween hybrids because honestly, who can resist?

mapsontheweb

grasshoppergeography

Hey All,

I've been away for some time, as we've been working really hard on something quite exciting:

let me present to you the world's first ever global ocean drainage basin map that shows all permanent and temporary water flows on the planet.

Ocean drainage basin map of the world, showing all temporary and permanent water flows colour-coded according to the ocean they end up in. The map is on a black background, the rivers are coloured blue if they flow into the Arctic, green if they flow into the Atlantic, orange/mustard for the Pacific, pink for the Indian Ocean, and grey if they are endorheic (don't end up in oceans). Map created by Grasshopper Geography.

This is quite big news, as far as I know this has never been done before. There are hundreds of hours of work in it (with the data + manual work as well) and it's quite a relief that they are all finished now.

But what is an ocean drainage basin map, I hear most of you asking? A couple of years ago I tried to find a map that shows which ocean does each of the world's rivers end up in. I was a bit surprised to see there is no map like that, so I just decided I'll make it myself - as usual :) Well, after realizing all the technical difficulties, I wasn't so surprised any more that it didn't exist. So yeah, it was quite a challenge but I am very happy with the result.

In addition to the global map I've created a set of 43 maps for different countries, states and continents, four versions for each: maps with white and black background, and a version for both with coloured oceans (aka polygons). Here's the global map with polygons:

I know from experience that maps can be great conversation starters, and I aim to make maps that are visually striking and can effectively deliver a message. With these ocean drainage basin maps the most important part was to make them easily understandable, so after you have seen one, the others all become effortless to interpret as well. Let me know how I did, I really appreciate any and all kinds of feedback.

Here are a few more from the set, I hope you too learn something new from them. I certainly did, and I am a geographer.

Ocean drainage basin map of Europe, showing all temporary and permanent water flows colour-coded according to the ocean they end up in. The map is on a black background, the rivers are coloured blue if they flow into the Arctic, green if they flow into the Atlantic, and grey if they are endorheic (don't end up in oceans). Map created by Grasshopper Geography.

The greatest surprise with Europe is that its biggest river is all grey, as the Volga flows into the Caspian sea, therefore its basin counts as endorheic.

An endorheic basin is one which never reaches the ocean, mostly because it dries out in desert areas or ends up in lakes with no outflow. The biggest endorheic basin is the Caspian’s, but the area of the Great Basin in the US is also a good example of endorheic basins.

Ocean drainage basin map of Africa, showing all temporary and permanent water flows colour-coded according to the ocean they end up in. The map is on a black background, the rivers are coloured green if they flow into the Atlantic, pink for the Indian Ocean, and grey if they are endorheic (don't end up in oceans). Map created by Grasshopper Geography.

I love how the green of the Atlantic Ocean tangles together in the middle.

Ocean drainage basin map of South Africa, showing all temporary and permanent water flows colour-coded according to the ocean they end up in. The map is on a black background, the rivers are coloured green if they flow into the Atlantic, pink for the Indian Ocean, and grey if they are endorheic (don't end up in oceans). Map created by Grasshopper Geography.

No, the dividing line is not at Cape Town, unfortunately.

Ocean drainage basin map of the contiguous United States, showing all temporary and permanent water flows colour-coded according to the ocean they end up in. The map is on a black background, the rivers are coloured blue if they flow into the Arctic, green if they flow into the Atlantic, orange/mustard for the Pacific Ocean, and grey if they are endorheic (don't end up in oceans). Map created by Grasshopper Geography.

I know these two colours weren’t the best choice for colourblind people and I sincerely apologize for that. I’ve been planning to make colourblind-friendly versions of my maps for ages now – still not sure when I get there, but I want you to know that it’s just moved up on my todo-list. A lot further up.

Ocean drainage basin map of the state of Minnesota, showing all temporary and permanent water flows colour-coded according to the ocean they end up in. The map is on a black background, the rivers are coloured blue if they flow into the Arctic, green if they flow into the Atlantic, orange/mustard for the Pacific Ocean, and grey if they are endorheic (don't end up in oceans). Map created by Grasshopper Geography.

Minnesota is quite crazy with all that blue, right? Some other US states that are equally mind-blowing: North Dakota, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming. You can check them all out here.

Ocean drainage basin map of South America, showing all temporary and permanent water flows colour-coded according to the ocean they end up in. The map is on a black background, the rivers are coloured blue if they flow into the Arctic, green if they flow into the Atlantic, orange/mustard for the Pacific Ocean, and grey if they are endorheic (don't end up in oceans). Map created by Grasshopper Geography.

Yes, most of the Peruvian waters drain into the Atlantic Ocean. Here are the maps of Peru, if you want to take a closer look.

Ocean drainage basin map of Asia, showing all temporary and permanent water flows colour-coded according to the ocean they end up in. The map is on a black background, the rivers are coloured blue if they flow into the Arctic, green if they flow into the Atlantic, orange/mustard for the Pacific, pink for the Indian Ocean, and grey if they are endorheic (don't end up in oceans). Map created by Grasshopper Geography.

Asia is amazingly colourful with lots of endorheic basins in the middle areas: deserts, the Himalayas and the Caspian sea are to blame. Also note how the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatra are divided.

Ocean drainage basin map of Australia, showing all temporary and permanent water flows colour-coded according to the ocean they end up in. The map is on a white background, the rivers are coloured orange/mustard for the Pacific Ocean, pink for the Indian Ocean, and grey if they are endorheic (don't end up in oceans). Map created by Grasshopper Geography.

I mentioned earlier that I also made white versions of all maps. Here’s Australia with its vast deserts. If you're wondering about the weird lines in the middle: that’s the Simpson desert with its famous parallel sand dunes.

Ocean drainage basin map of North America, showing all temporary and permanent water flows colour-coded according to the ocean they end up in. The map is on a white background, the rivers are coloured blue if they flow into the Arctic, green if they flow into the Atlantic, orange/mustard for the Pacific, pink for the Indian Ocean, and grey if they are endorheic (don't end up in oceans). Oceans are also coloured. Map created by Grasshopper Geography.

North America with white background and colourful oceans looks pretty neat, I think.

Drainage basin map of the Arctic Ocean, showing all temporary and permanent water flows colour-coded according to the ocean they end up in. The map is cenetred at the North Pole, the rivers are shown on a black background. They are coloured blue if they flow into the Arctic, otherwise they are just grey lines. Map created by Grasshopper Geography.

Finally, I made the drainage basin maps of the individual oceans: The Atlantic, the Arctic, the Indian and the Pacific. The Arctic is my favourite one.

I really hope you like my new maps, and that they will become as popular as my river basin maps. Those have already helped dozens of environmental NGOs to illustrate their important messages all around the world. It would be nice if these maps too could find their purpose.