25. Weather Part 7 – The Coriolis Effect on Winds and Currents
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Transcript 25. Weather Part 7 – The Coriolis Effect on Winds and Currents
The Coriolis Effect on
Winds and Currents
Consider This:
The Coriolis force has been observed since at least
the 1650’s.
Italian military officers wrote that in artillery
practice the cannon balls always landed to the right
of where they aimed and predicted.
Earth’s Rotation
The Earth is a sphere and rotates on an axis.
Counter-clockwise when looking down from the north
pole.
The equator must rotate
fastest to “keep up”.
The Coriolis Effect
Causes moving objects to:
Turn to the right in the northern hemisphere.
Turn to the left in the southern hemisphere.
These are from the direction you are looking.
The Coriolis Effect from MIT
The Coriolis effect has a huge influence on weather
patterns!
Remember:
The shape of the Earth causes different locations to
have different temperatures.
Warm air rises because it is less dense.
Objects in the air are deflected because of the
Coriolis Effect.
Air Circulation
There are three convection currents in each
hemisphere.
Called cells.
Global Winds
The air moving north or south because of
convection, still moves east or west because of
rotation.
The cells are deflected because of the Coriolis
Effect.
Global Atmospheric Circulation
Global Winds
Wind systems are wide zones of prevailing winds.
Trade Winds
Prevailing Westerlies
Polar Easterlies
Occur in both hemispheres.
Jet Stream
A narrow band of strong, fast-moving winds.
In upper-level air.
Jet Stream
Caused by uneven temperatures and the Coriolis
Effect.
Jet streams generate large scale weather systems.
What is a Jet Stream?
Think About It:
The atmosphere and the ocean act as one system
called the air-sea interface.
How do the winds impact the ocean?
How does Earth’s rotation impact the ocean?
Ocean Currents
Ocean currents travel in the direction of the wind
and are impacted by the Coriolis Effect.
Gyres:
Circular ocean currents.
Ocean Currents
Warm currents from the equator towards the poles.
Cold currents from the poles towards the equator.
Left side is always warm.
Right side is always cold.
Think About It:
Circulating air has a big impact on our weather.
Ocean currents also have a big impact on our
weather.
Both impacted by the Coriolis Effect.