Answer to Brain Drain: Fall 2001
What hemisphere is this?
The image shows Tropical Cyclone Eline on February 16, 2000, in the southern hemisphere.
Where in the world is this?
The land mass (outlined in lime green on the left side of the image) is Madagascar off the southeastern coast of Africa.
General rule:
Cyclones including hurricanes rotate (a) counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and (b) clockwise in the southern hemisphere.
|
|
|
Compare Tropical Cyclone Eline [left] with Hurricane Erin [right], the first North Atlantic hurricane of 2001, shown on September 9, 2001. Note that Erin rotates in a counterclockwise direction, as do all northern hemisphere cyclones. Eline rotates in the clockwise direction.
The direction of rotation is due to the Coriolis force, which occurs because the Earth is a rotating body. For more information on the Coriolis force, check out: The Coriolis Force. Danish Wind Industry Association.
By the way, toilets and sinks can be easily convinced to rotate in either direction in both hemispheres. Unless you have a highly specialized basin, the motion due to the Coriolis effect is swamped by other forces in these settings.
See other tropical cyclone images: Tropical cyclones. U.K Met Office website.