Do the water in the oceans spill when the earth rotates?

The water is held close to the earth by gravity which keeps it from floating off into space, but also it does not spill because it is already moving the same speed as the earth in rotation. Think about you riding in a car. As the car accelerates, you accelerate as well, relative to the car.

If the earth were to suddenly stop spinning, then the water would keep going at the same speed and "fly off the earth", just like you would fly out of the car if it suddenly stopped moving.

No, gravity holds it down just like it does us.

The rotation in the major ocean basins is driven by a combination of wind stress at the ocean surface and the Coriolis force due to the earth's rotation. As discussed in the unit on atmospheric structure and circulation , the winds at the earth's surface are directed from east to west in at the Equator and generally west to east at the middle latitudes (30 to 60o north and south of the equator). The wind induces an ocean drift current generally in the same direction but rotated slightly, deflected by the Coriolis force to the right of the wind direction in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left of the wind in the Southern Hemisphere.

The law of conservation of momentum says that in the absence of forces, the momentum of an object does not change. A parcel of water (or air) that has a component of its velocity toward the Equator (outer boundary of the circle) will be moving to positions at greater distance from the polar axis. Because of the rotation of the earth, the total speed of the parcel will increase (and violate the law of conservation of momentum) unless it moves in the direction opposite to the rotation, as shown, and follows a path that curves to the right.

A parcel moving towards the axis of rotation (northward in the Northern Hemisphere) similarly will move in a clockwise direction. For flow south of the Equator, the same reasoning leads to the conclusion that rotation in the Southern Hemisphere is in the counterclockwise direction. Read more :- http://encarta.msn.com/sidebar_761599222/giant_ocean_cataracts.html.

You say that wind, not the Earth's rotation, causes the differences in flight times to the east or west. But what causes the headwind and tailwind? Atmosphere is lagging behind relative to the rotation of the Earth.

Movement of the air relative to the Earth's rotation. Explained by the rotation of the Earth? Now your theory might have some merit if not for one simple fact.

Earth rotates to the east and the winds over most of the planet blow to the east as well. Called the Prevailing Westerlies since they blow out of the west and to the east. Fastest at the Equator, so according to your theory, this region is where the winds should blow the hardest.

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