417 words used in the labs.

Find a term from the labs, understand the process behind it, and see how it appears in the landscape. Each entry connects an explanation with a real observation and a model you can explore.

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Term

Coriolis

An apparent acceleration in a rotating reference frame. For horizontal motion on Earth it deflects flow right in the Northern Hemisphere and left in the Southern; that horizontal component vanishes at the equator.

What to look for

Aqua MODIS observed Cyclone Evan near Fiji on 16 December 2012. Its cloud bands spiral around the centre; a mathematical logarithmic spiral is an approximation, not a measured exact fit.

Related labs

Wind, PGF and Coriolis →

Mark understood

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Explore further with USGS water glossary · USGS volcano glossary · NPS glacial geology · NASA Earth facts. Photograph acknowledgements are collected on the Image credits page.