“Turntable Ocean”

Fluid motion plays a critical role in regulating Earth's climate, for example through the transport of heat by ocean currents and winds in the atmosphere. The Earth’s rotation strongly constrains the dynamics of these motions and thus shapes how the climate works. Therefore, for students to grasp key concepts in climate science they need to understand how Earth's rotation affects these geophysical flows.

“Turntable Ocean” helps students visualize rotating fluid dynamics for students studying phenomena associated with the ocean circulation, weather, and climate, such as eddy and tornado formation and the Coriolis effect. It includes detailed instructions on how to source and build a low cost rotating wave tank for use in the classroom and the how to demonstrate the basic concepts and underlying physics.