The Coriolis effect
The Coriolis effect
How does the Coriolis effect affect the wind deflection and weather in the northern and southern hemispheres?
The Coriolis effect is an apparent deflection of moving objects when they are viewed in a rotating reference frame. It is named after the French mathematician Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis, who first described it in 1835. The Coriolis effect is caused by the fact that the Earth rotates on its axis.
To understand the Coriolis effect, See the below image in first image a ball rolling across a flat, non-rotating surface. If the ball is thrown in a straight line, it will continue to move in a straight line until it encounters an obstacle. However, if you see the second image consider the surface is rotating, the ball will appear to curve to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This is because the ball's speed is relative to the rotating surface.
To illustrate this, imagine a person standing on a merry-go-round and throwing a ball to a friend. If the merry-go-round is not spinning, the ball will go straight to the friend. However, if the merry-go-round is spinning, the ball will curve to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This is because the person throwing the ball is moving faster than the friend in the direction of rotation.
Demonstration of Coriolis Effect
The Coriolis effect is relatively weak at the equator and strongest at the poles. This is because the Earth's rotation is fastest at the equator and slowest at the poles. The Coriolis effect is also stronger for objects that are moving faster.
The Coriolis effect has a number of important impacts on the Earth's climate and weather patterns. For example, it is responsible for the rotation of hurricanes and cyclones. The Coriolis effect also affects the direction of ocean currents and wind patterns.
Here are some examples of the Coriolis effect in action:
1) Hurricanes and cyclones: Hurricanes and cyclones rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. This is due to the Coriolis effect.
2) Ocean currents: The Coriolis effect deflects ocean currents to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This is why the Gulf Stream flows north along the eastern coast of the United States and the Canary Current flows south along the western coast of Africa.
3) Wind patterns: The Coriolis effect deflects wind patterns to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This is why the prevailing winds in the Northern Hemisphere blow from the west to the east.
The Coriolis effect is a complex phenomenon, but it is an important part of our understanding of the Earth's climate and weather patterns.
The ball travels in a clockwise direction on the rotating parabolic surface because at the center, friction overcomes the ball's mass more than at the furthest point outward.
on the disc's center, the surface is moving more slowly than it is on the outside edge.
Because the traction is highest from the slow-moving surface, the ball is pushed in the same direction as the spin when it is close to the center.
Centrifugal force overcomes the parabolic surface's inclination as the ball gains speed, allowing the friction between the ball and disc surface to diminish and the centrifugal force to drop. The ball is forced to return towards the parabolic disc due to gravity caused by its inclination. the center to begin the cycle over again. Note that the mass of the ball had to be in sufficient proportion for this experiment to work.
Reference:
https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/coriolis-effect/#undefined
https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/learn-about/weather/how-weather-works/coriolis-effect