Storms in the south swing with the clock, and winds tend to pass to the left!
Photograph courtesy NASA, Jeff Schmaltz, MODIS Land Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC
Coriolis Force
The invisible force that appears to deflect the wind is the Coriolis force. The Coriolis force applies to movement on rotating objects. It is determined by the mass of the object and the object's rate of rotation. The Coriolis force is perpendicular to the object's axis. The Earth spins on its axis from west to east. The Coriolis force, therefore, acts in a north-south direction. The Coriolis force is zero at the Equator.
Though the Coriolis force is useful in mathematical equations, there is actually no physical force involved. Instead, it is just the ground moving at a different speed than an object in the air.
flowing movement of air within a larger body of air.
a large volume of air that is mostly consistent, horizontally, in temperature and humidity.
dark-colored band of clouds on Jupiter or Saturn.
light wind or air current.
person who is not in the military.
the result of Earth's rotation on weather patterns and ocean currents. The Coriolis effect makes storms swirl clockwise in the Southern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere.
force that explains the paths of objects on rotating bodies.
circular motion to the left.
weather system that rotates around a center of low pressure and includes thunderstorms and rain. Usually, hurricanes refer to cyclones that form over the Atlantic Ocean.
to alter from a straight line.
imaginary line around the Earth, another planet, or star running east-west, 0 degrees latitude.
material that is able to flow and change shape.
power or energy that activates movement.
enormous storm in Jupiter's Southern Hemisphere, which has been observed for more than 100 years.
left-right direction or parallel to the Earth and the horizon.
tropical storm with wind speeds of at least 119 kilometers (74 miles) per hour. Hurricanes are the same thing as typhoons, but usually located in the Atlantic Ocean region.
structures and facilities necessary for the functioning of a society, such as roads.
largest planet in the solar system, the fifth planet from the Sun.
weather pattern characterized by low air pressure, usually as a result of warming. Low-pressure systems are often associated with storms.
to make or produce a good, usually for sale.
armed forces.
half of the Earth between the North Pole and the Equator.
fixed point that, along with the South Pole, forms the axis on which the Earth spins.
to watch.
extreme north or south point of the Earth's axis.
exact.
wind that blows from one direction.
photographs of a planet taken by or from a satellite.
important or impressive.
gunman who fires from a concealed place.
the sun and the planets, asteroids, comets, and other bodies that orbit around it.
half of the Earth between the South Pole and the Equator.
severe weather indicating a disturbed state of the atmosphere resulting from uplifted air.
winds that blow toward the Equator, from northeast to southwest in the Northern Hemisphere and from southeast to northwest in the Southern Hemisphere.
to change in appearance or purpose.
modern myth or piece of folklore.
measurement of the rate and direction of change in the position of an object.
repeating or predictable changes in the Earth's atmosphere, such as winds, precipitation, and temperatures.
movement of air (from a high pressure zone to a low pressure zone) caused by the uneven heating of the Earth by the sun.
