<p>The short answer is yes.</p>
<p>Whenever a fluid moves against something else it will experience <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/atmospheric-dynamics/friction-and-boundary-layers/E34F4EFCEC07EF5D7A4F0C37B6ACEC75" rel="nofollow noreferrer">friction</a>, it's a function of fluid dynamics.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The atmosphere is a weakly viscous fluid, but friction is important wherever the velocity gradient is very large. The frictional effect is therefore strong at least in a layer next to the surface of the Earth. Such a layer is called the boundary layer.</p>
<p>The amount of friction the atmosphere experiences depends on the roughness of the Earth. Over flat terrain it will experience less friction than over rough terrain such as mountains, forests or tall buildings.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/planetary-boundary-layer" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Planetary Boundary Layer</a> (PBL) or Atmospheric Boundary Layer is the part of the atmosphere that makes contact with the Earth's surface.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>As a result of surface friction, winds in the PBL are usually weaker than above and tend to blow toward areas of low pressure.</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T05:11:24.343Z
While I agree with what you have written, I don't see how it answers the question.  How does the Earth's rotation come into play?
f.thorpe
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-16T19:24:54.730Z
2023-07-16T19:50:03.963Z
2023-07-16T19:50:03.963Z
Fred
<p>Since you say &quot;due solely to the planet's rotation&quot;, the best answer might be &quot;No.&quot; The atmosphere rotates as a body with the planet. The interplanetary medium is so diffuse there is essentially no friction between it and the atmosphere. Whenever there is a pressure difference between one location on the earth's surface and another nearby place, there is a force tending to cause wind from the higher pressure to the lower pressure location, and a friction force resisting that. But the planet's rotation does not apply any sideways force on the atmosphere, since the atmosphere is already rotating too. So there is no force for friction to resist, and therefore no friction caused solely by the earth's rotation.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T05:11:51.223Z
I tend to agree with this answer, yes there is drag and the laminar flow is disrupted due to the surface.  However, that is regardless of the Earth's rotation because the atmosphere can be moving in any direction, has momentum, etc.
f.thorpe
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T13:05:20.363Z
@MarkFoskey I am not sure if I understand this answer. You first said that there would be no friction. But then you said that there would be friction between the atmosphere and the ground
vengaq
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T13:07:23.413Z
So, even if the atmosphere rotates at the same speed as Earth does, there would still be perturbations to its circulation due to defects in the surface? @f.thorpe
vengaq
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T18:11:14.727Z
@vengaq even though *the whole atmosphere* is moving at the same speed as the earth, *locally*, it's not (because "wind").  And wind (being  moving gases, meaning a moving fluid) experiences friction at the boundary layer with the Earth.
RonJohn
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T23:38:31.553Z
@vengaq All atmospheric particles already have momentum due to Earth's rotation, but that is not wind.  Wind is driven by solar heating and is dynamic depending on pressure gradients.  The only direct effect on wind due to the rotation of the Earth that I can think of is the coriolis effect.
f.thorpe
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-18T00:56:22.073Z
I revised the last couple of sentences - the more I read the comments the more I realized I wasn't explaining it well. Hopefully this is better.
Mark Foskey
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T05:03:38.493Z
2023-07-18T00:55:21.840Z
2023-07-18T00:55:21.840Z
Mark Foskey
<p>Does air in the atmosphere suffer friction in some way due solely to the planet's rotation?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T06:52:52.647Z
Cross-site duplicate: https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/772328/6319
gerrit
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T10:46:37.567Z
The ambiguous wording in this question invites ambiguous answers. There is no air in the atmosphere that is "solely" influenced by one effect; all effects are present at once and ultimate atmospheric behaviour is the result of an interaction between these effects.
Will
CC BY-SA 4.0
2023-07-17T12:50:18.903Z
If it didn't... Why would we get "still" air and wind directions largely determined by pressure gradients. If the atmosphere didn't, on-average, rotate with the earth, we'd have a fairly constant 1000mph retrograde wind (obviously varying by lattitude)
ScottishTapWater
<atmosphere><earth-rotation><thermodynamics><fluid-dynamics><air>
Does air in the atmosphere get friction due to the planet's rotation?
vengaq
# Does air in the atmosphere get friction due to the planet's rotation?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2023-07-16)

Does air in the atmosphere suffer friction in some way due solely to the planet's rotation?

**Tags:** atmosphere, earth-rotation, thermodynamics, fluid-dynamics, air

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Cross-site duplicate: https://physics.stackexchange.com/q/772328/6319  
> **username_2**: The ambiguous wording in this question invites ambiguous answers. There is no air in the atmosphere that is "solely" influenced by one effect; all effects are present at once and ultimate atmospheric behaviour is the result of an interaction between these effects.  
> **username_3**: If it didn't... Why would we get "still" air and wind directions largely determined by pressure gradients. If the atmosphere didn't, on-average, rotate with the earth, we'd have a fairly constant 1000mph retrograde wind (obviously varying by lattitude)  

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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2023-07-16. Score: 3

The short answer is yes.

Whenever a fluid moves against something else it username_2 experience [friction](https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/abs/atmospheric-dynamics/friction-and-boundary-layers/E34F4EFCEC07EF5D7A4F0C37B6ACEC75), it's a function of fluid dynamics.

> The atmosphere is a weakly viscous fluid, but friction is important wherever the velocity gradient is very large. The frictional effect is therefore strong at least in a layer next to the surface of the Earth. Such a layer is called the boundary layer.
>
> The amount of friction the atmosphere experiences depends on the roughness of the Earth. Over flat terrain it username_2 experience less friction than over rough terrain such as mountains, forests or tall buildings.

The [Planetary Boundary Layer](https://www.britannica.com/science/planetary-boundary-layer) (PBL) or Atmospheric Boundary Layer is the part of the atmosphere that makes contact with the Earth's surface.

> As a result of surface friction, winds in the PBL are usually weaker than above and tend to blow toward areas of low pressure.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: While I agree with what you have written, I don't see how it answers the question.  How does the Earth's rotation come into play?  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2023-07-17. Score: 3

Since you say "due solely to the planet's rotation", the best answer might be "No." The atmosphere rotates as a body with the planet. The interplanetary medium is so diffuse there is essentially no friction between it and the atmosphere. Whenever there is a pressure difference between one location on the earth's surface and another nearby place, there is a force tending to cause wind from the higher pressure to the lower pressure location, and a friction force resisting that. But the planet's rotation does not apply any sideways force on the atmosphere, since the atmosphere is already rotating too. So there is no force for friction to resist, and therefore no friction caused solely by the earth's rotation.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: I tend to agree with this answer, yes there is drag and the laminar flow is disrupted due to the surface.  However, that is regardless of the Earth's rotation because the atmosphere can be moving in any direction, has momentum, etc.  
> **username_0**: @username_6 I am not sure if I understand this answer. You first said that there would be no friction. But then you said that there would be friction between the atmosphere and the ground  
> **username_0**: So, even if the atmosphere rotates at the same speed as Earth does, there would still be perturbations to its circulation due to defects in the surface? @username_5  
> **username_7**: @username_0 even though *the whole atmosphere* is moving at the same speed as the earth, *locally*, it's not (because "wind").  And wind (being  moving gases, meaning a moving fluid) experiences friction at the boundary layer with the Earth.  
> **username_5**: @username_0 All atmospheric particles already have momentum due to Earth's rotation, but that is not wind.  Wind is driven by solar heating and is dynamic depending on pressure gradients.  The only direct effect on wind due to the rotation of the Earth that I can think of is the coriolis effect.  
> **username_6**: I revised the last couple of sentences - the more I read the comments the more I realized I wasn't explaining it well. Hopefully this is better.  

---

