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
Buildings that changed the future of architecture. Book review.
The Sustainability Pathfinder© Handbook
Built environment agency launches free Pathfinder© tool to help businesses progress sustainability strategies.
Government outcome to the late payment consultation, ECA reacts.
IHBC 2025 Gus Astley Student Award winners
Work on the role of hewing in UK historic conservation a win for Jack Parker of Oxford Brookes University.
Future Homes Building Standards and plug-in solar
Parts F and L amendments, the availability of solar panels and industry responses.
How later living housing can help solve the housing crisis
Unlocking homes, unlocking lives.
Preparing safety case reports for HRBs under the BSA
A new practical guide to preparing structural inputs for safety cases and safety case reports published by IStructE.
Male construction workers and prostate cancer
CIOB and Prostate Cancer UK encourage awareness of prostate cancer risks, and what to do about it.
The changed R&D tax landscape for Architects
Specialist gives a recap on tax changes for Research and Development, via the ACA newsletter.
Structured product data as a competitive advantage
NBS explain why accessible product data that works across digital systems is key.
Welsh retrofit workforce assessment
Welsh Government report confirms Wales faces major electrical skills shortage, warns ECA.
A now architectural practice looks back at its concept project for a sustainable oceanic settlement 25 years on.
Copyright and Artificial Intelligence
Government report and back track on copyright opt out for AI training but no clear preferred alternative as yet.
Embedding AI tools into architectural education
Beyond the render: LMU share how student led research is shaping the future of visualisation workflows.
Why document control still fails UK construction projects
A Chartered Quantity Surveyor explains what needs to change and how.
Inspiration for a new 2026 wave of Irish construction professionals.
New planning reforms and Warm Homes Bill
Take centre stage at UK Construction Week London.