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Reference.org
Ocean gyre
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<p>In <a href="/facts/Oceanography/LtrG6peD">oceanography</a>, a gyre is any large system of <a href="/facts/Ocean_current/vfwdGwPY">ocean surface currents</a> moving in a circular fashion driven by <a href="/facts/Wind/Nt0QIu5B">wind</a> movements. Gyres are caused by the <a href="/facts/Coriolis_effect/SqCyUY6d">Coriolis effect</a>; planetary <a href="/facts/Vorticity/2oQ6eT4d">vorticity</a>, horizontal friction and vertical friction determine the circulatory patterns from the <i><a href="/facts/Wind_stress/w2Uwn3NY">wind stress</a> <a href="/facts/Curl_(mathematics)/GuS8dc7o">curl</a></i> (<a href="/facts/Torque/KcrcvNtV">torque</a>). </p><p><i>Gyre</i> can refer to any type of <a href="/facts/Vortex/K6oeqcuX">vortex</a> in an <a href="/facts/Planetary_atmosphere/oUpLaGRF">atmosphere</a> or a <a href="/facts/Planetary_ocean/2A9nleK3">sea</a>, even one that is human-created, but it is most commonly used in terrestrial <a href="/facts/Oceanography/LtrG6peD">oceanography</a> to refer to the major <a href="/facts/Ocean/8W8lYgjD">ocean</a> systems. </p>