14. Coriolis Force and Storms

The Atmosphere, the Ocean and Environmental Change (GG 140)
Large scale air motion in the atmosphere occurring sufficiently above the surface is in geostrophic balance. Areas of high and low pressure anomalies in the atmosphere are surrounded by rotating flow caused by the balance between the pressure gradient and Coriolis forces. The direction of rotation around these pressure anomalies reverses between the northern and southern hemispheres due to the reversal in sign of the Coriolis force across the equator. This can be seen in the reverse direction of the spiraling of clouds in satellite images of hurricanes in the northern and southern hemispheres. Convective storms are also discussed.
00:00 - Chapter 1. Pressure Anomalies on Weather Maps
09:57 - Chapter 2. Geostrophic Adjustment
15:38 - Chapter 3. Hurricanes in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres
18:23 - Chapter 4. Coriolis Force and Toilet Bowl Mythology
24:51 - Chapter 5. Definition of a Storm
29:26 - Chapter 6. Convective and Frontal Storms
33:24 - Chapter 7. Airmass Thunderstorms
36:36 - Chapter 8. Severe Thunderstorms
Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: oyc.yale.edu
This course was recorded in Fall 2011.