[Timucin]

Real life effect of this is that now people will know how to draw more fuel-efficient routes for ships, tankers etc, so they will consume less fuel which can lead to cheaper logistics, less CO2 release and less negative impact on the environment.

So I think it’s OK to call this groundbreaking :)

[bawana]

but how can you know subsurface currents? Doppler sonar?

[davidhyde]

Perhaps the strength of the currents can now be mathematically inferred from the deformed shape of the wake. Look at recent satellite images of ship wakes and plot a better course for your ship.