Baer–Babinet law
In geology, Baer's law, named after Karl Ernst von Baer, hypothesises that, because of the rotation of the earth, in the Northern Hemisphere, erosion occurs mostly on the right banks of rivers and in the Southern Hemisphere on the left banks. In 1926, Albert Einstein wrote a paper explaining the causes of the phenomenon.
Although it is possible that an aggregate measurement of all rivers would lead to a correlation, the Coriolis force is orders of magnitude weaker than the local forces on the river channel from its flow. Therefore, this is unlikely to be important in any given river.[1]
See also
References
- ^ Martínez-Frías, J; Hochberg, D; Rull, F (Feb 2006). "A review of the contributions of Albert Einstein to earth sciences—in commemoration of the World Year of Physics". Die Naturwissenschaften. 93 (2): 66–71. doi:10.1007/s00114-005-0076-8. PMID 16453104.
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- Baer, K. E. v., "Über ein allgemeines Gesetz in der Gestaltung der Flußbetten", Kaspische Studien, 1860, VIII, S. 1–6.
- Einstein, A., "Die Ursache der Mäanderbildung der Flußläufe und des sogenannten Baerschen Gesetzes", Die Naturwissenschaften, 1926, 11, S. 223–224.
- Einstein, A., "The Causes of the Formation of Meanders in the Courses of Rivers and of the so-called Baer's Law", translation in Ideas and Opinions, Bonanza Books, 1954.