Coriolis effect
The Coriolis effect or force describes how objects not firmly connected to the ground deflect as they travel long distances around the Earth. In particular patterns in the direction of air within cells caused by the spinning of the earth.
The surface of the earth rotates faster at the equator, further from the axis than it does at the poles nearer the axis. So in 24-hours areas at the equator shift at nearly 1,000 miles an hour, whilst nearer the poles, the rotation speed is a mere 0.00005 miles an hour. This means there is in effect a greater deflection of objects not touching the earths surface at the equator than at the poles, which impacts most of the weather patterns in the earths atmosphere.
Such patterns are also impacted by jet streams which are narrow bands of strong winds that occur in the upper levels of the atmosphere and follow the boundaries between hot and cold air. These stream winds blow from west to east but also shift between the north and south.
[edit] External Links
https://earth.nullschool.net/#current/wind/surface/level/orthographic=-348.38,27.01,285
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings
- Atmosphere
- Atmospheric pressure.
- Adaptability.
- Adaptation.
- Alternative futures for heritage.
- Biosphere.
- Business resilience.
- Changing lifestyles.
- Buildings that help rebuild lives and communities.
- Design Summer Year (DSY)
- Design flexibility.
- Designing resilient cities: a guide to good practice (EP 103).
- Earthquake Design Practice for Buildings.
- Environmental plan.
- Environmental policy.
- Flood level.
- Hydrosphere.
- Hurricane design considerations.
- Horizon scanning.
- Interferometric synthetic aperture radar InSAR.
- Lunar architecture.
- Lithosphere.
- Managing and responding to disaster.
- Resilience.
- Risk assessment.
- Space architecture.
- Sustainability.
- Two steps towards a more resilient world.
Featured articles and news
OpenUSD possibilities: Look before you leap
Being ready for the OpenUSD solutions set to transform architecture and design.
Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2025
Highlighting the continuing threat to trades persons.
Retrofit of Buildings, a CIOB Technical Publication
Now available in Arabic and Chinese aswell as English.
The context, schemes, standards, roles and relevance of the Building Safety Act.
Retrofit 25 – What's Stopping Us?
Exhibition Opens at The Building Centre.
Types of work to existing buildings
A simple circular economy wiki breakdown with further links.
A threat to the creativity that makes London special.
How can digital twins boost profitability within construction?
The smart construction dashboard, as-built data and site changes forming an accurate digital twin.
Unlocking surplus public defence land and more to speed up the delivery of housing.
The Planning and Infrastructure Bill
An outline of the bill with a mix of reactions on potential impacts from IHBC, CIEEM, CIC, ACE and EIC.
Farnborough College Unveils its Half-house for Sustainable Construction Training.
Spring Statement 2025 with reactions from industry
Confirming previously announced funding, and welfare changes amid adjusted growth forecast.
Scottish Government responds to Grenfell report
As fund for unsafe cladding assessments is launched.
CLC and BSR process map for HRB approvals
One of the initial outputs of their weekly BSR meetings.
Building Safety Levy technical consultation response
Details of the planned levy now due in 2026.
Great British Energy install solar on school and NHS sites
200 schools and 200 NHS sites to get solar systems, as first project of the newly formed government initiative.
600 million for 60,000 more skilled construction workers
Announced by Treasury ahead of the Spring Statement.