Coriolis effect - please help my understanding - RC Groups
Summary
Coriolis effect - please help my understanding Hi guys, Ive been pulling my hair out trying to fully understand the coriolis effect in the context of its role with geostrophic winds. Im fine with the basics - the Pressure Gradient Force moves air from high pressure to low, and the CE creates an apparent force on the moving air mass, deflecting it to the right in the northern hemisphere and to the left in the south. Considering the Conservation of Angular Momentum, it makes sense how an air mass moving, for example, from mid-latitudes to high latitudes, would overtake the ground as it travels north. But what really frustrates me, and what I cant seem to find any example of, is this: What happens if air moves from a High to a Low along a parallel of latitude, left/right along the Earth with no change in latitude north/south? In my mind, surely the conservation of angular momentum aspect would go out the window here, because the earths diameter would remain constant along the airs journey?