What are gyres?

What are gyres?

Currents flow around the oceans in giant loops called gyres. A gyre can consist of several currents, some warm, some cold.

In the northern hemisphere- that is, above the equator- the water in a gyre flows in a clockwise direction, which is the same direction as the moving hands of a clock. Below the equator, in the southern hemisphere, the water in a gyre flows in an anti-clockwise direction or the direction opposite to the movements of the hand of clock.