Astrophysics (Index)About

beta drift

(beta effect)
(tendency for a cyclone to drift poleward and westward)

Beta drift is a meteorological term for a tendency of cyclones to drift toward the nearer pole and toward the west, specifically the amount of drift beyond what the Coriolis force by itself would produce, due to the Coriolis force's interaction with the circular wind-pattern of the cyclone. The phenomenon influences the path that hurricanes travel, for example.


(atmosphere,weather)
Further reading:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropical_cyclone#Beta_drift
http://glossary.ametsoc.org/wiki/Beta_drift
http://www.atmos.albany.edu/facstaff/rfovell/meteo_slides/Lecture24_slides.pdf

Referenced by page:
beta (β)

Index