Waves in the ocean come in many different shapes and sizes including ones called Rossby Waves. Also known as planetary waves, Rossby waves naturally occur largely due to the Earth’s rotation and affect the planet’s weather and climate.
Unlike waves that break along the shore, Rossby waves are huge, undulating movements of the ocean that stretch horizontally across the planet for hundreds of kilometers in a westward direction.
The following article from the National Ocean Service division of NOAA (National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration) makes for interesting reading.
