(PHO) Coriolis Effect Lesson

Coriolis Effect

The Coriolis Effect is the apparent deflection of a moving object due to the rotation of a greater object. On Earth, the Coriolis Effect deflects ocean currents north of the equator to the right and currents south of the equator to the left. Look at the movie below. Notice that even though the children are throwing the ball in a straight line, the ball curves to the right.

Gyres are large mounds of water created by the Coriolis Effect. These gyres produce large circular currents in all of the ocean basins. Gravity keeps these mounds from growing too high by pulling the water back down toward the center of the Earth.

The Coriolis Effect directly influences ocean surface currents. Currents on the western coast of continents are usually cold and currents on the eastern coast are warm because they originate from the equator. This is important because the movement of these currents distributes heat from the equatorial regions of the Earth to cooler regions.

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