Computer simulations show how oceanic stirring and mixing influence the formation and dynamics of plankton patches in the upper ocean. Researchers applied the methods of synchronization theory -- previously used to explain such phenomena as the coordinated flashing of fireflies along whole riverbanks. Initially they studied the balance between localized increases in phytoplankton populations and small-scale mixing, such as that due to breaking waves, in creating patches. Patchiness was found to persist despite the mixing which might be expected to smooth out the patches by blending them together....