The Coriolis effect is a phenomenon that occurs due to the Earths rotation. It describes the pattern of deflection taken by objects not firmly connected to the ground as they travel long distances around the Earth. The Coriolis effect is responsible for many things, including the movement of clouds around the globe and the creation of weather patterns in different regions.

Here are some key characteristics of the Coriolis effect:

• The Earths rotation causes circulating air to deflect toward the right in the Northern Hemisphere and toward the left in the Southern Hemisphere.
• The Coriolis effect influences the global wind patterns and is a major factor in explaining why winds blow anticlockwise around low pressure and clockwise around high pressure in the northern hemisphere and vice versa in the southern hemisphere.
• The Coriolis effect creates wind and water patterns that move to the east toward the equator and to the west toward the poles.

The Coriolis effect was described by the 19th-century French physicist and mathematician Gustave-Gaspard de Coriolis in 1835. He formulated theories of fluid dynamics through studying waterwheels and realized the same theories could be applied to the motion of fluids on the surface of the Earth.

It is important to note that the Coriolis effect is not responsible for the direction of water spiraling down a drain or the direction of a toilet flushing. These are determined by other factors such as the shape of the drain or the direction of the water flow.