Why the opposite of what happens in Northern hemisphere happens in Southern hemisphere due to coriolis effect ?
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Winds blow across theEarthfromhigh-pressure systems tolow-pressure systems. However, winds don’t travel in a straight line. The actual paths of winds—and of oceancurrents, which are pushed by wind—are partly a result of theCoriolis effect. The Coriolis effect is named afterGustave Coriolis, the 19th-century Frenchmathematicianwho first explained it. The key to the Coriolis effect lies in the Earth’srotation. The Earth rotates faster at theEquatorthan it does at thepoles. This is because the Earth is wider at the Equator. A point on the Equator has farther to travel in a day. Let’s pretend you’re standing at the Equator and you want to throw a ball to your friend in the middle of North America. If you throw the ball in a straight line, it will appear to land to the right of your friend because he’s moving slower and has not caught up. Now let’s pretend you’re standing at theNorth Pole. When you throw the ball to your friend, it will again appear to land to the right of him. But this time, it’s because he’s moving faster than you are and has moved ahead of the ball. This apparentdeflection is the Coriolis effect. The wind is like the ball. It appears to bend to the right in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, winds appear to bend to the left. In the Northern Hemisphere, wind from high-pressure systems pass low-pressure systems on the right. This causes the system to swirlcounter-clockwise. Low-pressure systems usually bringstorms. This means thathurricanes and other storms swirl counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, storms swirl clockwise. Fast-moving objects such as airplanes androckets are influenced by the Coriolis effect. Pilots must take the Earth’s rotation into account whencharting flights over long distances. This means most planes are not flown in straight lines, even if the airports are directly across the continent from each other. The line between Portland, Maine, and Portland, Oregon, for instance, is very long, and fairly straight. However, a plane flying from Portland, Oregon, could not fly in a straight line and land in Portland, Maine. Flying east, the Coriolis effect seems to bend to the right, in a southerly direction. If the Oregon pilot flew in a straight line, the plane would end up near New York or Pennsylvania. Militaryaircraft andmissile-controltechnologymustcalculatethe Coriolis effect for similar reasons. The target of anair raidcould be missed entirely, and innocent people andcivilianstructures could be damaged. The Earth rotates fairly slowly, compared with otherplanets. The slow rotation of the Earth means the Coriolis effect is not strong enough to be seen in small movements, such as the draining of water in a bathtub. Jupiter, on the other hand, has the fastest rotation in thesolar system. On Jupiter, north-south winds are actuallytransformed into east-west winds, some traveling more than 610 kilometers per hour (380 miles per hour). The divisions between winds that blow mostly to the east and those that blow mostly to the west create clearhorizontaldivisions among the planet’sclouds. Theboundarybetween these fast-moving winds can create strong, swirling storms, like theGreat Red Spot. Closer to home, you could observe the Coriolis effect if you and a friend stood on a rotating merry-go-round and threw a ball back and forth. To you and your friend, the ball’s path would appear to curve. Actually, the ball would be traveling in a straight line. You and your friend would be moving out of its path while it is in the air. A third person, standing on the ground near the merry-go-round, would be able toconfirmthat the ball travels in a straight line.
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Winds blow across theEarthfromhigh-pressure systems tolow-pressure systems. However, winds don’t travel in a straight line. The actual paths of winds—and of oceancurrents, which are pushed by wind—are partly a result of theCoriolis effect. The Coriolis effect is named afterGustave Coriolis, the 19th-century Frenchmathematicianwho first explained it. The key to the Coriolis effect lies in the Earth’srotation. The Earth rotates faster at theEquatorthan it does at thepoles. This is because the Earth is wider at the Equator. A point on the Equator has farther to travel in a day. Let’s pretend you’re standing at the Equator and you want to throw a ball to your friend in the middle of North America. If you throw the ball in a straight line, it will appear to land to the right of your friend because he’s moving slower and has not caught up. Now let’s pretend you’re standing at theNorth Pole. When you throw the ball to your friend, it will again appear to land to the right of him. But this time, it’s because he’s moving faster than you are and has moved ahead of the ball. This apparentdeflection is the Coriolis effect. The wind is like the ball. It appears to bend to the right in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, winds appear to bend to the left. In the Northern Hemisphere, wind from high-pressure systems pass low-pressure systems on the right. This causes the system to swirlcounter-clockwise. Low-pressure systems usually bringstorms. This means thathurricanes and other storms swirl counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. In the Southern Hemisphere, storms swirl clockwise. Fast-moving objects such as airplanes androckets are influenced by the Coriolis effect. Pilots must take the Earth’s rotation into account whencharting flights over long distances. This means most planes are not flown in straight lines, even if the airports are directly across the continent from each other. The line between Portland, Maine, and Portland, Oregon, for instance, is very long, and fairly straight. However, a plane flying from Portland, Oregon, could not fly in a straight line and land in Portland, Maine. Flying east, the Coriolis effect seems to bend to the right, in a southerly direction. If the Oregon pilot flew in a straight line, the plane would end up near New York or Pennsylvania. Militaryaircraft andmissile-controltechnologymustcalculatethe Coriolis effect for similar reasons. The target of anair raidcould be missed entirely, and innocent people andcivilianstructures could be damaged. The Earth rotates fairly slowly, compared with otherplanets. The slow rotation of the Earth means the Coriolis effect is not strong enough to be seen in small movements, such as the draining of water in a bathtub. Jupiter, on the other hand, has the fastest rotation in thesolar system. On Jupiter, north-south winds are actuallytransformed into east-west winds, some traveling more than 610 kilometers per hour (380 miles per hour). The divisions between winds that blow mostly to the east and those that blow mostly to the west create clearhorizontaldivisions among the planet’sclouds. Theboundarybetween these fast-moving winds can create strong, swirling storms, like theGreat Red Spot. Closer to home, you could observe the Coriolis effect if you and a friend stood on a rotating merry-go-round and threw a ball back and forth. To you and your friend, the ball’s path would appear to curve. Actually, the ball would be traveling in a straight line. You and your friend would be moving out of its path while it is in the air. A third person, standing on the ground near the merry-go-round, would be able toconfirmthat the ball travels in a straight line.
