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What is convection?
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| "Convection" has several, related meanings in weather....but it always involves rising
air. It usually refers to "moist convection", where the excess water vapor in rising air
parcels condenses to form a cloud. The heat released
through this condensation can help to sustain the convection by warming the air further and making it
rise still higher, which causes more water vapor to condense, so the process feeds on itself.
Convection can also be dry, as occurs on a sunny day over the desert. The sun warms the ground, and
convective air currents help to remove the excess heat from the surface. Dry convection also occurs
during the day even when clouds are forming...you just can't see it.
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| Interesting facts:
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| MAKING THE EARTH LIVEABLE: Convection (both dry and moist)
help to make the Earth liveable by removing excess heat from the surface, and transporting it
high into the atmosphere. It has been calculated that, without convection, the average surface air temperature
on the earth would be about 125 deg. F, rather than the current 59 deg. F.
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