Coriolis force

The Coriolis force is an apparent force in a rotating reference frame that deflects moving objects perpendicular to their velocity and the frame’s rotation axis.

Rotating reference frame: A coordinate system that rotates relative to an inertial frame. The Coriolis force appears when motion is described in this frame.
Geostrophic wind: A wind whose pressure-gradient force balances the Coriolis force. This balance explains much of the flow above the friction-dominated surface layer.
Newton's laws of motion: Three laws relating forces, mass, and motion in classical mechanics. The apparent force is needed to apply Newton’s laws in rotating coordinates.
Centripetal force: The net inward force required to keep an object moving along a curved path. Unlike the Coriolis force, it is a real force in an inertial description.
Coriolis parameter: The latitude-dependent factor used to quantify Coriolis effects on Earth, equal to twice Earth's rotation rate times the sine of latitude. It sets the strength of horizontal deflection on a rotating Earth.
Ekman transport: The net transport of fluid driven by wind stress and deflected by rotation and friction. Coriolis deflection turns ocean currents with depth and shifts their net transport.
Inertial frame of reference: A frame in which force-free bodies move at constant velocity in straight lines. The Coriolis force vanishes when motion is described in an inertial frame.
Euler force: An apparent force in a frame whose rotation rate changes with time. It arises from changing frame rotation, not an object’s motion through a steadily rotating frame.
Angular velocity: A vector describing the rate and axis of rotation. The force’s direction depends on the frame’s angular-velocity vector.
Rossby wave: A large-scale wave in a rotating fluid, caused by variation in planetary rotation with latitude. Coriolis variation supplies the restoring mechanism for these atmospheric and oceanic waves.

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