Meteorologywinds and pressure
Buys Ballot's Law
Buys Ballot's Law is a meteorological rule relating wind direction to the distribution of atmospheric pressure. In the Southern Hemisphere, if you stand with your back to the wind, the area of lower atmospheric pressure will be to your right. This is a consequence of the Coriolis effect, which causes wind to flow clockwise around low-pressure systems in the Southern Hemisphere.
Key Points
- •Southern Hemisphere: stand with your back to the wind and lower pressure is to your right.
- •Northern Hemisphere: stand with your back to the wind and lower pressure is to your left.
- •Wind flows clockwise around low-pressure systems in the Southern Hemisphere.
- •Useful for estimating the location of pressure systems relative to an observed wind direction.
Exam Relevance
This law helps pilots mentally visualize the location of high and low-pressure systems based on the prevailing wind direction during en-route flight planning.
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