Oceanography – Honors (H) Practice Test

This question tests how the Coriolis parameter depends on latitude. The Coriolis parameter, f, quantifies the strength of the Coriolis effect for motion in a rotating frame and is defined as f = 2Ω sin φ, where Ω is Earth's rotation rate and φ is latitude. Because sin φ depends on latitude, f changes as you move north or south. At the equator (φ = 0°), sin φ = 0, so f = 0 and there’s no Coriolis deflection. As you go toward higher latitudes, sin φ increases in magnitude, so f grows, with positive values in the Northern Hemisphere and negative values in the Southern Hemisphere. Near the poles (φ ≈ ±90°), sin φ ≈ ±1, giving |f| ≈ 2Ω as the maximum.

This means f increases with latitude in magnitude and is not constant. It does not depend on longitude, so any choice implying longitude dependence is incorrect.