Skip Navigation

  Button that takes you to the takes you back to the home page. Button that takes you to the teacher pages. Button that takes you to the modules and activities page. Button that takes you to the Problem Based Learning model. Button that takes you to the References page. Button that takes you to the Related Links page. Button that takes you to the Glossary page.Image map of some El Nino: The Child Returns puzzle pieces. Please have someone assist you with this.

Coriolis Force
The Coriolis force causes the simple solar-driven Hadley circulation on Earth to break up into three smaller circulating systems or cells. The cell nearest the Equator is called the Hadley cell, in which air rises near the equator, flows north or south, and sinks again near a latitude of 30° in both hemispheres. Returning air near the surface is deflected westward by the Coriolis force, causing the so-called trade winds. In the cells nearest the poles, the Polar cells, air sinks at the poles, flows outward along the surface, rises near latitude 60° in both hemispheres, and flows back to the poles at high altitudes. A very weak cell, called the Ferrel cell, occurs between the Hadley and Polar cells. Here, air rises near latitudes of 60°, flows equatorward at high altitudes, and sinks near latitudes of 30°. Returning air near the surface is deflected westward, forming the so-called prevailing westerlies.

The Coriolis force also affects air flow on a smaller scale. As air flows out of areas of high pressure in both hemispheres, they are turned to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. The result is a clockwise flow around the Northern Hemisphere high and a counterclockwise flow around the Southern Hemisphere subtropical high.

[ Glossary ] [ Related Links ] [ References ] [ PBL Model ]

[ Home ] [ Teacher Pages ] [ Modules & Activities ]

Button that takes you back to the El Nino: The Child Returns main page.

HTML code by Chris Kreger
Maintained by ETE Team
Last updated November 10, 2004

Some images © 2004 www.clipart.com

Privacy Statement and Copyright © 1997-2004 by Wheeling Jesuit University/NASA-supported Classroom of the Future. All rights reserved.

Center for Educational Technologies, Circuit Board/Apple graphic logo, and COTF Classroom of the Future logo are registered trademarks of Wheeling Jesuit University.