Due to the rotation of the Earth, any object on or near the Earth’s surface will veer to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere. This applies especially to phenomena such as ocean currents and wind. Imagine a missile being fired at New York by Los Angeles. As the missile flies over the United States, the Earth continues to rotate under the missile and it strikes New Jersey instead. Missile launchers and pilots need to factor the spinning of the Earth into their trajectories in order to end up in the right place. North of the equator, ocean currents and winds rotate clockwise, but south of the equator, the opposite is true.