Which mechanism causes the prevailing surface wind direction in temperate zones to be westerly rather than directly poleward?

💡 Explanation

The Coriolis effect deflects moving air to the right in the Northern Hemisphere, because the Earth's rotation causes an apparent force on objects moving within that rotating frame of reference, creating the westerlies. Therefore Coriolis is the primary driver, rather than thermal inertia, latent heat, or orographic effects which have distinct mechanisms.

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