In this talk, I will present one of my favorite phenomena from geophysical fluid dynamics: the Ekman spiral. It can be thought of as a "spiral staircase down into the depths of the ocean". This is not only a fascinating oceanic phenomenon in itself, but also has far reaching effects on many coasts. The way the Ekman spiral transports water, known as upwelling, has a large influence on the life in the affected regions of the ocean. If time permits, I will also talk about vortex motion with boundaries (Kirchhoff-Routh theory) and extensions of this to multiply connected geometries. Speaker(s): Christiana Mavroyiakoumou (University of Michigan)