Re: planetary and atmospheric rotation - origins, direction, etc

On 2008-02-28, Wayne Throop <throopw@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Your terminology is still thowing me a bit, but I think the answer
is "no". Winds are caused by thermal gradients. They are organized
into bands by coriolis forces, but that has little to do with what
the ground is doing, as such.

It has a lot to do with what the ground is doing. If Earth's
atmosphere was decoupled from the ground, then Coriolis effects would
be absent. Air at the equator is entrained to rotate along with the
ground beneath. If the Earth suddenly stopped rotating, it would not
take long before the air also stopped.

Though I do see your point.


- Tim
.