DISCLAIMER: This article is being kept online for historical purposes. Though accurate at last review, it is no longer being updated. The page may contain broken links or outdated information.
Trentmann, Jörg Institute for Atmospheric Physics, Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany.
Andreae, Meinrat O. Max Planck Institute for Chemistry, Mainz, Germany.
- History of research
- Global view
- Related Primary Literature
- Additional Reading
Atmospheric convection can occur whenever an air parcel or air layer is heated so that it expands, becomes less dense than its surroundings, and begins to move upward by buoyancy. The large-scale (synoptic) conditions determine the buoyancy structure and stability of the atmosphere, the distribution of moisture, and overall motion patterns of the air, and thereby set the preconditions for the type and intensity of convective motion. Initiation of actual convection occurs on the local scale by small-scale processes, most commonly by local solar heating or terrain-induced lifting of air.
The content above is only an excerpt.
for your institution. Subscribe
To learn more about subscribing to AccessScience, or to request a no-risk trial of this award-winning scientific reference for your institution, fill in your information and a member of our Sales Team will contact you as soon as possible.
to your librarian. Recommend
Let your librarian know about the award-winning gateway to the most trustworthy and accurate scientific information.
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information