Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-classical-mechanics-course-of-part-b-of-the-physics-course-of-the-university-of-oxford/2016/1/a/solution

In a frame rotating with angular velocity , a particle of relative velocity experiences the Coriolis force
For nearly horizontal atmospheric motion, the relevant vertical rotation component is , with latitude . In the northern hemisphere the horizontal deflection is to the right of the motion. A low-pressure center produces an inward pressure-gradient force; an anticlockwise circulation has an outward Coriolis force to oppose it. A high-pressure center instead supports clockwise circulation, with inward Coriolis force opposing the outward pressure-gradient force.
The sense reverses in the southern hemisphere. There, anticlockwise circulation is anticyclonic and corresponds to high atmospheric pressure. Hence
This is the large-scale rotating-fluid interpretation; friction, centrifugal acceleration and departures from ideal balance modify actual wind profiles. NASA's description independently identifies the southern, counterclockwise Great Red Spot as a high-pressure system.[ref]

New to topics? Read the docs here!