Story: Ocean currents and tides

Down the gurgler

Watch water, dyed red, go down the same plughole, clockwise then anti-clockwise. It dispels the myth that water swirls down a plughole in one direction in the southern hemisphere and in the opposite direction in the northern hemisphere. It is only large systems such as ocean currents and weather systems that are affected by the Coriolis force, which is caused by the earth’s rotation. It is this force that causes ocean currents to veer to the left in the southern hemisphere.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
Video by Carl Walrond

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How to cite this page:

Craig Stevens and Stephen Chiswell, 'Ocean currents and tides - Flows on the continental shelf', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/video/9926/down-the-gurgler (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Craig Stevens and Stephen Chiswell, published 12 Jun 2006