Brainstorm Answer: Gyre
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Today we have the answer to a recent Weather Notebook Brainstorm. If you were on of the many responders to the Brainstorm you most likely remember it, if you have no idea what I'm talking about, I'll tell you.

The question was centered around something called gyres. A gyre is a large whirlpool of water. There are two in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, one each in the northern and southern hemispheres. The Indian Ocean also has its own gyre. Gyres are made up of separate currents that together circle these great ocean basins. The question was this: What do gyres have to do with wind?

The answer is it's the prevailing wind that makes these gyres spin. The wind pushes the surface water and creates the basic ocean surface circulations. Some of the many folks who knew this and let us know are Denny Bridge from Fairbanks AK, Jeff McDonald from Midland, TX, Fred Stoss from Buffalo, New York, and Brandon Rose from Harrisonburg, VA.

Many listeners, like Dan Koleski in Tucumcari, NM, pointed out the winds that drive the gyres are ultimately caused by the spin of the earth and the difference in temperature across the globe. Dan we'll give you extra credit.

And speaking of extra credit, here are some extra credits: Our listener service coordinator is Susan Ross-Parent. Sean Doucette records and engineers the Weather Notebook. The music you hear on the show is arranged an performed by Georg Brandl. Jay Allison is our Consulting Producer.

The Weather notebook is a production of the Mount Washington Observatory, a research and educational member supported organization. Please check mountwashington.org for more information. I'm Dave Thurlow.