I've watched several videos on this topic, and this was, by far, the clearest in explaining these forces & effects on wind speed & direction. I just wished I found yours first.
Dan, I cannot overstate how top notch your videos are. I subscribed to three online IFR ground schools and yours was by far the best. Further, your generosity in posting so many high quality training videos on TH-cam for free access is commendable. I wish you much success and recognition for your contributions to Aviation education.
I never fully understood how Coriolis Effect worked throughout my private training and going into my check ride. Working on my instrument, I'm revisiting the topic. This video finally made me understand it, as have a lot of other topics you've talked about.
taking commercial exam tomorrow and this is one thing I was stuck on..... coriolis force counterbalance and pressure gradient... I needed to see it (visual learner). I believe I wont miss this question tomorrow! Thank you!
Doesnt the friction lead to a windspeed reduction and therefore an smaller coriolis force which leads to BACKING of the wind? I am confused because you mentioned that the wind veers as getting slowed down by friction. In the 3rd picture it looks like backing as well. Thank you very much for your work!
That's exactly what I was going to comment. When you're closer to the surface, the wind BACKS and DECREASES. If you're in a climb-out (on a plane), the wind VEERS and INCREASES.
The thing about the Coriolis effect which I still cannot wrap my head around is.... I can understand why, in a high pressure system (in the northern hemisphere), the southward flowing air will veer to the west. However, why would the northern flowing air not begin to back to the west? Or, inversely, why, within a low pressure system, the southern flowing air would not veer to the west?
So regardless of high versus low pressure, wind (in the N Hemisphere) always curves rightward. Air flowing south from the N Pole is moving more slowly than the ground rotating beneath it, so will appear on the ground to curve towards the West. In the same way, air flowing up from the Equator will be moving faster than the ground beneath it, so will seem to curve towards the East. Because of this right curvature, regardless of if the air is moving North or South, an area of high pressure will be on the right while low pressure will be to the left.
Hi Tyson. The rotation direction can be seen from a radar map. If you look at video of radar maps of Hurricane Ida now for example, you can see the hurricane (cyclone) rotating counterclockwise. This is the view from above. High pressure systems (anticyclonic) rotate clockwise as seen from above.
There is no such thing as a Coriolis force it is a perception only due to our rotating perspective. It is a pseudo force and cannot do real work. The appearance of rotation due to perspective from rotating reference frames cannot cause the wind to actually change direction. It takes work to change the direction of air motion. I don't understand how this myth is still widely believed to contribute to weather. (But then again NASA still calls comets dirty snowballs even though we've been to several with sensitive probes and have yet to find any significant water...) Consider the fact that we know that air is charged, 100 volts more positive per meter vertically in the fair sky, much more during storms, and the earth is in a magnetic field. (Spiders utilize these charge gradients to levitate and with wind go thousands of miles using only a short electret web strand.) A charged particle moving in a magnetic field experiences the lorentz force, a real force that can do work, which acts 90 degrees to the direction of motion and would cause rotation; or more precisely a spiraling trajectory. In the southern hemisphere a particle moving towards the equator would experience the opposite force, compared to a northern particle, given relative motion to the same field is the opposite direction. If you don't think the lorentz force is significant watch a video of a beta particle spiral entering a cloud chamber on Earth inside our magnetic field. I don't intend to detract from your primary points about wind direction and aircraft navigation, since the cause would be irrelevant, but the cause of actual rotation in wind or water cannot be the Coriolis effect even if my theory is not correct.
By far the best explanation of the coriolis effect i've ever seen - never really understood before - many thanks
I've watched several videos on this topic, and this was, by far, the clearest in explaining these forces & effects on wind speed & direction. I just wished I found yours first.
Dan, I cannot overstate how top notch your videos are. I subscribed to three online IFR ground schools and yours was by far the best. Further, your generosity in posting so many high quality training videos on TH-cam for free access is commendable. I wish you much success and recognition for your contributions to Aviation education.
This video is quite underrated...
Clear, logical. I thank you good sir.
I cannot put into words how helpful all of your videos are. Please keep them coming
I never fully understood how Coriolis Effect worked throughout my private training and going into my check ride. Working on my instrument, I'm revisiting the topic. This video finally made me understand it, as have a lot of other topics you've talked about.
taking commercial exam tomorrow and this is one thing I was stuck on..... coriolis force counterbalance and pressure gradient... I needed to see it (visual learner). I believe I wont miss this question tomorrow! Thank you!
Amazing explanation! Taking my oral exam/check ride soon, thanks for the help!
Good luck on the checkride!! I hope you’ll let us know the good news!
Thank you! This video was the missing piece for me to understand.
You’re most welcome. Thanks so much for watching!
Thanks a ton. Watching it in India
Fantastic explanation, thank you.
Thanks as always
Outstanding explanation, thank upi!
Thanks alot for this excellent explanation!
You’re most welcome! All the best
Thank you 👏🏽
woah that clicked thank you!
Doesnt the friction lead to a windspeed reduction and therefore an smaller coriolis force which leads to BACKING of the wind? I am confused because you mentioned that the wind veers as getting slowed down by friction. In the 3rd picture it looks like backing as well. Thank you very much for your work!
That's exactly what I was going to comment. When you're closer to the surface, the wind BACKS and DECREASES. If you're in a climb-out (on a plane), the wind VEERS and INCREASES.
Excellent explanation of an always confusing topic!
Glad it was helpful!
Haha it’s the khan academy guy’s cousin, Preciate you chief
The thing about the Coriolis effect which I still cannot wrap my head around is.... I can understand why, in a high pressure system (in the northern hemisphere), the southward flowing air will veer to the west. However, why would the northern flowing air not begin to back to the west? Or, inversely, why, within a low pressure system, the southern flowing air would not veer to the west?
So regardless of high versus low pressure, wind (in the N Hemisphere) always curves rightward. Air flowing south from the N Pole is moving more slowly than the ground rotating beneath it, so will appear on the ground to curve towards the West. In the same way, air flowing up from the Equator will be moving faster than the ground beneath it, so will seem to curve towards the East. Because of this right curvature, regardless of if the air is moving North or South, an area of high pressure will be on the right while low pressure will be to the left.
Is the cyclonic and anticyclonic rotations or clockwise and anticlockwise apparent when viewed from under the storm or above?
Hi Tyson. The rotation direction can be seen from a radar map. If you look at video of radar maps of Hurricane Ida now for example, you can see the hurricane (cyclone) rotating counterclockwise. This is the view from above. High pressure systems (anticyclonic) rotate clockwise as seen from above.
The Coriolis force is the result of horizontal pressure differences correct?
No, it is the result of the rotation of the earth and it causes the deflection of the surface wind to the right
I understand now why
Sam Sulek of Aviation Weather
Ever consider it’s the sun dividing the weather and not the science fiction of earth spin that isn’t accounted for in any way?
There is no such thing as a Coriolis force it is a perception only due to our rotating perspective. It is a pseudo force and cannot do real work. The appearance of rotation due to perspective from rotating reference frames cannot cause the wind to actually change direction. It takes work to change the direction of air motion. I don't understand how this myth is still widely believed to contribute to weather. (But then again NASA still calls comets dirty snowballs even though we've been to several with sensitive probes and have yet to find any significant water...) Consider the fact that we know that air is charged, 100 volts more positive per meter vertically in the fair sky, much more during storms, and the earth is in a magnetic field. (Spiders utilize these charge gradients to levitate and with wind go thousands of miles using only a short electret web strand.) A charged particle moving in a magnetic field experiences the lorentz force, a real force that can do work, which acts 90 degrees to the direction of motion and would cause rotation; or more precisely a spiraling trajectory. In the southern hemisphere a particle moving towards the equator would experience the opposite force, compared to a northern particle, given relative motion to the same field is the opposite direction. If you don't think the lorentz force is significant watch a video of a beta particle spiral entering a cloud chamber on Earth inside our magnetic field. I don't intend to detract from your primary points about wind direction and aircraft navigation, since the cause would be irrelevant, but the cause of actual rotation in wind or water cannot be the Coriolis effect even if my theory is not correct.