Anticyclonic rotation, or anticyclonic circulation, is
atmospheric motion in the direction opposite to a planet's rotation. For
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's sur ...
, this motion is in a
clockwise direction in the
Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the
Southern Hemisphere. For large-scale weather systems, greater than approximately , anticyclonic rotation only occurs for
high-pressure systems. This is due to how the
Coriolis effect acts on high-pressure systems. Large,
low-pressure systems, such as
tropical cyclones, have
cyclonic rotation. Small scale rotating atmospheric features, such as
tornadoes,
water spouts, and
dust devil
A dust devil is a strong, well-formed, and relatively short-lived whirlwind. Its size ranges from small (half a metre wide and a few metres tall) to large (more than 10 m wide and more than 1 km tall). The primary vertical motion is ...
s can have either anticyclonic or cyclonic rotation, since the direction of their spin depends on local forces rather than the Coriolis effect.
External links
Anticyclonic Rotation- AMS Glossary of Meteorology
Climate patterns
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