Editing Whirlpool (section)

{{short description|Body of rotating water produced by the meeting of opposing currents}}
{{about|the water movement|the American home appliances manufacturer|Whirlpool Corporation|other uses}}
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{use American English|date=May 2016}}
[[File: The Corryvreckan Whirlpool - geograph-2404815-by-Walter-Baxter.jpg|thumb|upright=1.36|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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Whirlpool - Facts and Information|url=https://www.phenomena.org/ocean/whirlpool/|access-date=2020-10-28|website=World of Phenomena|language=en-US}}</ref> Small whirlpools form when a bath or a sink is draining. More powerful ones formed in seas or oceans may be called '''maelstroms''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|eɪ|l|s|t|r|ɒ|m|,_|-|r|ə|m}} {{respell|MAYL|strom|,_-|strəm}}). ''[[Vortex]]'' is the proper term for a whirlpool that has a [[downdraft]].<ref>{{Cite web|title= Whirlpool Facts and Myths|url= https://www.spiralwishingwells.com/guide/whirlpools.html|access-date=2025-03-08|website=Spiral Wishing Wells|language=en-US}}</ref>

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.<ref>[http://webecoist.com/2009/07/24/10-magnificent-maelstroms-and-destructive-whirlpools 10 Magnificent Maelstroms]. WebEcoist. Retrieved 26 October 2011.</ref> Smaller whirlpools appear at [[Rapids|river rapid]]s<ref name="fenh">{{cite book |title=The Family Encyclopedia of Natural History |editor1-first=Rosalind |editor1-last=Carreck |date=1982 |publisher=The Hamlyn Publishing Group |isbn=0-7112-0225-7 |page=246 }}</ref> and can be observed downstream of artificial structures such as [[weir]]s and dams. Large [[waterfall|cataract]]s, such as [[Niagara Falls]], produce strong whirlpools.