gyre

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gyre

oceanography

Written by John P. Rafferty

Fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Article History

Related Topics:: ocean current; subtropical gyre; subpolar gyre

gyre, in oceanography and climatology, a vast circular system made up of ocean currents that spirals about a central point. The most prominent are the subtropical gyres, which ring subtropical high-pressure systems, and the subpolar gyres, which enclose areas of low atmospheric pressure over the oceans.

John P. Rafferty