CORIOLIS EFFECT

(Climatology and Oceanography) The Coriolis effect, named for French physicist Gaspard Coriolis (1792-1843), is an imaginary force that appears to be exerted on an object moving within a rotation system. The apparent force is simply the acceleration of the object caused by the rotation. This effect may seen on a large scale in the movement of winds and ocean currents on the rotating earth. It dominates weather patterns, producing the counterclockwise flow observed around low-pressure zones in the Northern Hemisphere and the clockwise flow around such zones in the Southern Hemisphere. This effect is also responsible for the rotation of water funnels in the drains of tubs and water basins; the funnels will rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. Along the equator, there will be no such rotation.