RAS question
The Coriolis Effect causes:
Correct answer: (B) Deflection of winds — right in Northern Hemisphere, left in Southern.
The Coriolis effect deflects winds to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
Explanation
The Coriolis effect is the apparent deflection produced by Earth's rotation. NOAA explains that if Earth did not rotate, air would move in a simple back-and-forth pattern between the equator and the poles; because Earth rotates, circulating air follows curved paths instead. In the Northern Hemisphere this deflection is towards the right, while in the Southern Hemisphere it is towards the left. The same idea matters for oceanography because surface ocean currents are driven by global wind systems, and moving objects such as winds and ocean currents are affected. The effect is zero at the equator and becomes maximum at the poles.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) It is too narrow because the Coriolis effect deflects moving objects including both winds and ocean currents.
- (C) It is wrong because NOAA describes circulating air being deflected by Earth's rotation, so the effect is significant for atmospheric circulation rather than absent from weather.
- (D) It is wrong because NOAA contrasts straight circulation with the actual curved paths caused by Earth's rotation.
Concept
This tests the World Geography concept of planetary winds, atmospheric circulation and surface ocean currents. It recurs in RAS because the same mechanism explains wind belts, current direction and hemisphere-wise map interpretation.