So currents pushed debris toward Reunion, but is it possible that things drifted non linearly and scattered everywhere or will they be able to find the remains in a short time now ?
Even if a) currents and winds where 100% known and b) we could perfectly compute how they interact with objects, the parts still could end up in widely different places.
Different parts will have had different starting positions (even a few meters can make a huge difference. The part found made it to Reunion, but if it had floated a few meters further, it might have missed the Island and, over time, float hundreds of more miles, or it might have landed on an island that it now completely missed)
Also, the shape, weight, etc. of pieces affects where they float; a mostly submerged part will not see much impact from wind, a sailboat-like part will see lots of impact from it. Even identical pieces may float in different directions if they end up in the water at different orientations.
"Knowing the paths of the currents, though, is not enough. Other factors such as shape, size, and buoyancy may also determine an object’s course. Curt has observed with fascination that different beaches specialize in different types of debris. One beach may collect light bulbs while another collects tennis balls. Even right and left sneakers end up in different places"
There is an image at the bottom of the article which shows simulated debris movement over time. According to that, the stuff could be spread in a wide band from Madagascar to Tasmania by now.
I imagine some fascinating papers will come out soon from people who will do the math/simulations to hone in on a tighter search area than what the Inmersat data has given us.
