The Effects of the Coriolis Effect

I.	What is the Coriolis Effect?

A.	"an apparent deflection of a moving object in a rotating frame of reference"

B.	does not depend on the curvature of the Earth

C.	named after Gaspard-Gustave Coriolis, who first described it in 1835

D.	Greatest at poles, zero at equator

II.	Effects of the Coriolis Effect

A.	Deflection of air masses

1.	Deflects to the right in northern hemisphere

2.	Deflects to the left in southern hemisphere

3.	gives rise to geostrophic winds

a.	a wind that occurs when the pressure exerted on the air by the pressure gradient is equal to the opposing Coriolis effect force.

4.	affects the large-scale atmospheric circulation

a.	Forms the Hadley, Ferrel, and Polar cells

B.	Deflection of water masses

1.	Deflects to the right in northern hemisphere

2.	Deflects to the left in southern hemisphere

3.	gives rise to:

a.	ocean currents

b.	Propagation of Kelvin waves

c.	the Sverdrup balance

C.	Other

1.	Ballistics

D.

effect: to cause to come into being

affect: to tend toward <drops of water affect roundness>