Note that the Coriolis effect depends on the initial direction of motion and not on the compass direction. The Coriolis Effect occurs because the Earth rotates out from under all moving bodies like water, air, and even airplanes. The Coriolis Effect causes any body that moves on a rotating planet to turn to the right (clockwise) in the northern hemisphere and to the left (counterclockwise) in the southern hemisphere. The effect is negligible at the equator and increases both north and south toward the poles.
The reason for this is the Coriolis Effect. Since the Earth is in fact rotating, atmospheric circulation patterns are much more complex. The Coriolis Effect - Again, the diagram above would only apply to a non-rotating Earth. In areas where cold air descends back to the surface, pressure is higher and these are centers of high atmospheric pressure. If the Earth were not rotating, this would result in a convection cell, with warm moist air rising at the equator, spreading toward the poles along the top of the troposphere, cooling as it moves poleward, then descending at the poles, as shown in the diagram above. Once back at the surface of the Earth, the dry cold air would circulate back toward the equator to become warmed once again.Īreas where warm air rises and cools are centers of low atmospheric pressure.