Earth is a spinning planet, and its rotation affects climate, weather, and the ocean through the Coriolis Effect. Named after the French mathematician Gaspard Gustave de Coriolis (born in 1792), the Coriolis Effect refers to the curved path that objects moving on Earth’s surface appear to follow because of the spinning of the planet. As Earth turns, points near the equator are moving much faster than places near the planet’s poles. The Coriolis Effect influences wind patterns, which in turn dictate how ocean currents move.

Source: National Geographic