1. 19.2 Factors Affecting Winds

2. The Coriolis Effect
The tendency of an object moving freely over Earth’s surface to curve away from its path of travel

3. Coriolis Effect

4. Greatest near the poles; least near the equator
More Coriolis Effect
To the right in the Northern Hemisphere; to the left in the Southern Hemisphere
Greatest near the poles; least near the equator
noaa.gov

5. The faster the object, the greater the deflection
More Coriolis Effect
The faster the object, the greater the deflection
Not dependent on object’s movement direction

6. More Coriolis Effect
The effect is only noticeable for objects traveling over great distances, like an airplane or wind

7. Coriolis Effect on Highs/Lows
Wind spirals clockwise out of high pressure; spirals counterclockwise into low pressure in our Hemisphere

8. Slows down the air near Earth’s surface
Friction
Slows down the air near Earth’s surface
Force decreases with height, so winds increase with height

9. The Polar-Front Jet Stream
Bands of swiftly moving winds near the top of the troposphere
Divides cold air to the north, warm air to the south

10. The Polar-Front Jet Stream
Supplies energy to storms and guides their paths
Shifts south in winter, north in summer

11. The Polar-Front Jet Stream
Discovered around WWII (1939)
Allied bombers arrived early to their targets (tailwind); ground speed was very slow on return trip (headwind)—ran out of fuel

12. Review Questions List 3 factors that affect wind direction.
Describe the path of air as it travels into a low-pressure area in the Northern Hemisphere.
What effect could the polar-front jet stream have on the speed of an airplane flying eastward? An airplane flying westward?