Whirlpool

This article is about the water movement. For the American home appliances manufacturer, see Whirlpool Corporation. For other uses, see Whirlpool (disambiguation).

The Gulf of Corryvreckan whirlpool in Scotland is the third-largest whirlpool in the world.

A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle.[1][clarification needed] Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms (/ˈmeɪlstrɒm, -rəm/ MAYL-strom, -⁠strəm). Vortex is the proper term for a whirlpool that has a downdraft.[citation needed]

In narrow ocean straits with fast flowing water, whirlpools are often caused by tides. Many stories tell of ships being sucked into a maelstrom, although only smaller craft are actually in danger.[2] Smaller whirlpools appear at river rapids[3] and can be observed downstream of artificial structures such as weirs and dams. Large cataracts, such as Niagara Falls, produce strong whirlpools.

  1. ^ "Whirlpool - Facts and Information". World of Phenomena. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  2. ^ 10 Magnificent Maelstroms. WebEcoist. Retrieved 26 October 2011.
  3. ^ Carreck, Rosalind, ed. (1982). The Family Encyclopedia of Natural History. The Hamlyn Publishing Group. p. 246. ISBN 0-7112-0225-7.