Earth
is
a
spinning
planet
,
and
its
rotation
affects
climate
,
weather
,
and
the
ocean
through
the
Effect
.
Named
after
the
French
mathematician
Gaspard
Gustave
de
Coriolis
(
born
in
1792
)
,
the
Coriolis
Effect
refers
to
the
curved
path
that
objects
moving
on
Earth
?
s
surface
appear
to
follow
because
of
the
of
the
planet
.
As
Earth
turns
,
points
near
the
,
countries
like
Ecuador
and
Kenya
,
are
moving
much
faster
than
places
near
the
planet
?
s
.
This
is
because
Earth
is
shaped
like
a
marble
:
Its
circumference
is
larger
near
its
middle
(
the
equator
)
than
near
its
top
and
bottom
.
All
places
on
Earth
experience
a
day
that
is
about
hours
long
,
but
points
near
the
equator
have
to
travel
longer
distances
in
the
same
period
of
time
,
which
means
that
those
places
move
faster
.
Scientists
say
these
points
have
more
"
angular
momentum
.
"
This
is
why
rockets
are
usually
launched
from
places
near
the
equator
,
like
Cape
Canaveral
,
Florida
,
States
.
Such
locations
give
rockets
a
large
initial
speed
,
which
helps
them
get
into
orbit
using
the
least
possible
amount
of
.
The
Coriolis
Effect
influences
wind
patterns
,
which
in
turn
dictate
how
ocean
currents
move
.
Imagine
wind
near
the
equator
flowing
to
the
north
.
That
wind
starts
with
a
certain
speed
due
to
Earth
?
s
rotation
(
near
the
equator
,
Earth
rotates
at
a
speed
of
roughly
1
,
600
kilometers
per
hour
(
1
,
000
miles
per
hour
)
from
west
to
east
)
.
As
the
wind
travels
north
toward
the
North
Pole
,
it
moves
over
parts
of
Earth
that
are
rotating
progressively
more
slowly
.
Since
the
wind
retains
its
angular
momentum
,
it
keeps
moving
from
west
to
east
,
overtaking
the
part
of
Earth
turning
more
slowly
below
it
.
As
a
result
,
the
wind
appears
to
bend
to
the
east
(
that
is
,
to
the
right
)
.
This
is
the
Coriolis
Effect
in
action
.
Wind
flowing
south
from
the
equator
would
likewise
bend
to
the
.
This
effect
is
responsible
for
many
meteorological
and
oceanographic
phenomena
.
For
instance
,
due
to
the
Coriolis
Effect
,
hurricanes
in
the
Northern
Hemisphere
spin
in
a
direction
,
while
hurricanes
in
the
Southern
Hemisphere
(
known
as
cyclones
)
spin
in
a
clockwise
direction
.
Ocean
-
circling
currents
known
as
"
gyres
"
also
spin
in
spiral
patterns
thanks
to
the
Coriolis
Effect
.
There
is
an
urban
legend
that
water
in
toilets
spins
in
opposite
directions
in
the
Northern
and
Southern
because
of
the
Coriolis
Effect
.
But
that
isn't
true
?
a
toilet
bowl
is
too
small
for
the
effect
to
be
observed
.
Instead
,
other
factors
like
the
shape
of
the
toilet
bowl
and
the
direction
that
the
water
enters
are
largely
responsible
for
how
the
flushing
water
moves
.
Author
National
Geographic
Societ
y
New game