ESS220
Prof. Jin-Yi Yu
Coriolis Force
UA
UB
q First, Point A rotates faster
than Point B (UA > UB)
č UA > UB
č A northward motion starting at A
will arrive to the east of B
č It looks like there is a “force”
pushing the northward motion toward right
č This apparent force is called
“Coriolis force”:
Coriolis Force = f
V
where
f
= 2*W*Sin(lat) and W=7.292x10-5 rad
s-1
(from The Earth
System)