Cyclones and Anti-cyclones

Low and high pressure circulations are reversed in opposite hemispheres Click on image for full size (107K JPEG) The Earth's spin causes the wind to curve. This is called the Coriolis Effect. The wind in the northern hemisphere curves to the right and the wind in the southern hemisphere curves to the left. When the wind swirls counter-clockwise in the northern hemisphere or clockwise in the southern hemisphere, it is called cyclonic flow. When the wind swirls clockwise in the northern hemisphere or counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere, it is called anticyclonic flow. An example of cyclonic flow is the flow around a low pressure area while an example of anticyclonic flow is the flow around a high pressure area. A hurricane is a cyclone.

Movie of a Global Atmospheric Circulation Demonstration

Last modified January 8, 2010 by Randy Russell.
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