convection cell
Rising, cooling, sinking
A convection cell is a circular pattern of fluid movement driven by temperature differences.
Warm fluid rises, cools, then sinks, creating a continuous loop.
The term appears in meteorology for atmospheric circulation patterns, in geology for movements in Earth's mantle, and in physics for heat transfer in liquids and gases: Convection cells in the atmosphere drive weather patterns.
Directed flow of charge
- gyreCircular or spiral motion
- eddyCircular counter-current
- vortexRotating fluid column
- flowUnbroken forward movement
upwelling · downwelling · overturn · rising · sinking · plume · column · cycling
Covering or wrap
- asthenosphereDuctile upper mantle layer
- lithosphereCrust plus upper mantle
- tectonic plateRigid crustal segment that drifts
- subductionPlate descending beneath another
mid-ocean ridge · hotspot · magma · plume · continental drift · plate tectonics · geodynamics · volcanism
Gaseous layer around planets
- updraftUpward air movement
- downdraftDescending air current
- thunderstormViolent weather with lightning
- cumulonimbusTowering storm-producing cloud
supercell · mesocyclone · trade winds · air mass · cloud formation · precipitation · instability · lifting
Chaotic flow patterns
- laminarArranged in thin layers
- viscosityFluid's flow resistance
- boundary layerViscous region near walls
- streamlineRemove unnecessary elements
momentum · density · pressure gradient · advection · diffusion · instability · aspect ratio
Pertaining to warmth
- conductionHeat transfer through contact
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
- buoyancyFluid's upward resistance
- heatingRaising temperature artificially
cooling · heat source · heat sink · gradient · instability · threshold · onset
Making into small grains
- photosphereStar's light-emitting surface
- plasmaElectrified matter state
- chromosphereStellar atmospheric zone
- magnetic fieldForce zone around magnets
current
Directed flow of charge
flow · upwelling · downwelling · overturn · rising · sinking · plume · column · cycling · turnover
mantle
Covering or wrap
- asthenosphereDuctile upper mantle layer
- lithosphereCrust plus upper mantle
- tectonic plateRigid crustal segment that drifts
subduction · mid-ocean ridge · hotspot · magma · plume · continental drift · plate tectonics · geodynamics · volcanism · trench
atmosphere
Gaseous layer around planets
- updraftUpward air movement
- downdraftDescending air current
- thunderstormViolent weather with lightning
cumulonimbus · supercell · mesocyclone · trade winds · air mass · cloud formation · precipitation · instability · lifting · convergence
turbulence
Chaotic flow patterns
- laminarArranged in thin layers
- viscosityFluid's flow resistance
- boundary layerViscous region near walls
streamline · momentum · density · pressure gradient · advection · diffusion · instability · aspect ratio
thermal
Pertaining to warmth
- conductionHeat transfer through contact
- radiationEnergy propagation through space
- buoyancyFluid's upward resistance
heating · cooling · heat source · heat sink · gradient · instability · threshold · onset
granulation
Making into small grains
- photosphereStar's light-emitting surface
- plasmaElectrified matter state
- chromosphereStellar atmospheric zone
magnetic field · sunspot · hydrogen fusion · luminosity · red giant
convection cellconduction
Heat transfer through contact
radiation · thermal conduction · heat conduction · electromagnetic radiation · infrared radiation
convection, cell, convect, convective, convecting, convected, cells, cellular