Question

Which of the following factors combine to move water perpendicular to wind direction and causes water to spiral beneath the water's surface? 

A. wind, temperature, and salinity

B. density, temperature, and salinity

C. temperature, gravity, and the Coriolis effect 

D. wind, friction, and the Coriolis effect

Answer 1

D. wind, friction, and the Coriolis Effect

The result of the spiral effect (wind / Coriolis Effect) is that movement of water is perpendicular to wind direction. An Ekman spiral is the result of the wind / Coriolis Effect. It is a rotating column of water that forms when water moves at an angle to the wind direction due to the Coriolis Effect. It occurs as a consequence of the Coriolis Effect. When water molecules on the surface are moved by the wind, they drag deeper layers of water molecules below them.