Coriolis Effect and Wind Deflection

Because Earth rotates, large-scale moving air and ocean currents appear to curve. In the: Northern Hemisphere → deflection to the right Southern Hemisphere → deflection to the left The Coriolis effect is weak near the equator and stronger toward the poles. It changes the direction of motion rather than acting as the main source of the motion itself. Magnitude: **a_C = 2Ωv sinφ** where: `Ω` = Earth's angular speed `v` = speed `φ` = latitude