What causes a whirlpool in the water?

A whirlpool is a body of rotating water produced by opposing currents or a current running into an obstacle. Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called maelstroms (/'me?lstr?m, -r?m/ MAYL-strom, -?str?m).



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Most ships can withstand a whirlpool - not something that's in the general design of an ocean going ship. For a small boat it's best to stay out of the way!

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The Saltstraumen maelstrom holds the Guinness world record for the strongest natural whirlpool in the world. This remarkable Norwegian eddy is estimated to have existed for over 3 millennia, when this coastal region had glaciers in its fjords and channels.

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In one tragic event in 1835, a two-masted schooner from Deer Island set sail with two brothers aboard. She went down in the whirlpool while the poor boys' mother watched in horror from shore as the schooner sank helplessly.

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Most whirlpools aren't cause for concern. However, those that are very large or powerful can pose a serious threat to anyone who comes too close. These very strong whirlpools are called maelstroms. They're most likely to form when currents collide near narrow bodies of water, such as straits.

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When the two whirlpools become entwined, their linked tails form a U-shaped vortex under the water, which can hold together for up to six months before falling apart.

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Titanic (April 1912) On the night of April 14, 1912, the ship collided with an iceberg. A little over two-and-a-half hours later, the ship was completely submerged underwater. Unfortunately, the majority of passengers were unable to safely evacuate, as there were not enough lifeboats for everyone onboard.

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A rogue wave could sink a ship, although most modern cruise ships are big enough to withstand the majority of smaller rogue waves, though not without damage. Smaller ships are more at risk, but they are also more manoeuvrable so would stand a higher chance of being able to navigate out of the wave's path.

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In the sucking whirlpool, the motive force is water downstream, and air is moved by fric- tion at the water surface. In contrast, the motive power in the underwater tornado is from the rising gas, and the surrounding liquid rises after it. The theories of these two phenomena therefore differ.

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