What is the Coriolis effect? How does it affect air in the northern and southern hemispheres?

1 Answer
Mar 20, 2016

The apparent force that affects fluids in motion due to the rotation of the Earth.

Explanation:

The Earth is rotating. If you ever try to draw a straight line on a spinning paper you will discover that even though the only force you apply is direct straight line, the line you end up drawing would be curved.

Air will move from areas of high pressure to low pressure. Temperature is proportional to pressure at a constant volume. That makes pressures in the tropics much higher than pressures at the poles. Coriolis causes those winds to deflect to the east as the air moves northward, or in other words the wind moves from the west to the east. So that means that in the northern hemisphere the wind is deflected to the right.

In the Southern hemisphere the wind is deflected in the opposite manner, or to the left.