The more I read I'm getting confused. Just want to make sure. Winds that pass through an upper level trough go counter-clockwise in the Northern Hemi & clockwise in the Southern Hemi, right?? Thanks
4 answers
Thanks Ms. Sue but was my answer correct?
winds in the northern hemisphere go counterclockwise around a low pressure.
This can be derived from conservation of momentum or simple common sense.
If the low pressure is north of you and you are going north toward the low pressure, you have an east velocity equal to the speed of the earth under you equal to the angular velocity of earth times radius at that point from the axis through the poles.
as you go north, there is no force to change your east velocity, so you keep it.
when you get north a bit, the radius, and therefore the east velocity of the ground under you decreases as the radius decreases. However you are still going east faster than that, so you move east over the ground.
Similarly moving toward the south, you end up west.
That is counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere. This is all reversed in the southern hemisphere.
This can be derived from conservation of momentum or simple common sense.
If the low pressure is north of you and you are going north toward the low pressure, you have an east velocity equal to the speed of the earth under you equal to the angular velocity of earth times radius at that point from the axis through the poles.
as you go north, there is no force to change your east velocity, so you keep it.
when you get north a bit, the radius, and therefore the east velocity of the ground under you decreases as the radius decreases. However you are still going east faster than that, so you move east over the ground.
Similarly moving toward the south, you end up west.
That is counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere. This is all reversed in the southern hemisphere.
I don't know. If you want help from a subject expert who knows this field, you'll type your school subject in the appropriate box.
I was trying to alert other tutors that this is a science question.
I was trying to alert other tutors that this is a science question.
Thanks