| |
|
Very small whirlpools can be easily seen when a bath or a sink is draining, but these are produced in a very different manner from those in nature. Smaller whirlpools also appear at the base of many waterfalls. In the case of powerful ones like Niagara Falls these whirlpools can be quite potent.
The most powerful whirlpools are created in narrow shallow straights with fast flowing water. The Moskstraumen off the Loften islands in Norway is generally considered the world's most powerful whirlpool, but some claim the Old Sow is stronger. Powerful whirlpools have killed unlucky seafarers, but their power tends to be exaggerated in fiction. There are virtually no stories of large ships ever being sucked into a whirlpool. Tales like those by Jules Verne and Edgar Allan Poe are wholly made up.
Famous Whirlpools
The Icelandic Whirlpool is a massive flow of water that spins around Iceland and plays an important role in creating the climate of the North Atlantic