updraft
Skyward air current
An updraft is a current of air moving upward.
Pilots and birds exploit updrafts to gain altitude without expending energy: Hawks circled lazily in the updraft.
Updrafts form when the sun heats the ground unevenly, when wind hits a slope, or within storm clouds where they can be powerful enough to suspend hailstones.
Heat transfer via motion
- heatTransferred thermal energy
- warm airHeated gaseous atmosphere
- temperatureMeasured heat intensity
- thermodynamicsScience of heat-energy relationships
radiation · atmosphere · weather · climate · cumulus · thermals · soaring · gliding
Heat transfer via motion
- cumulonimbusTowering storm-producing cloud
- thunderstormViolent weather with lightning
- storm cellDiscrete convective weather unit
- supercellRotating severe thunderstorm
mesocyclone · tornado · funnel · hail · microburst · downdraft · inflow · outflow
Directed flow of charge
- airflowMovement of atmosphere
- gustBrief wind surge
- breezeLight, gentle air movement
- ventilationCirculation of fresh air
chimney effect · flue · column · air movement · circulation · eddy · vortex
Unpowered flying craft
- sailplaneEngineless soaring aircraft
- hang-gliderUnpowered airborne craft
- paragliderFoot-launched aircraft with fabric wing
- hawkTaloned predatory bird
eagle · vulture · condor · albatross · circling · spiraling · gaining altitude · ridge lift
Chaotic flow patterns
- air pocketLow-density atmospheric zone
- liftMechanism for vertical transport
- airspeedAircraft's atmospheric velocity
- climb rateSpeed of altitude gain
rotor · flight planning · pilot · cockpit · altimeter · airborne · flight path
convection
Heat transfer via motion
- heatTransferred thermal energy
- warm airHeated gaseous atmosphere
- temperatureMeasured heat intensity
thermodynamics · radiation · atmosphere · weather · climate · cumulus · thermals · soaring · gliding · column
convection
Heat transfer via motion
- cumulonimbusTowering storm-producing cloud
- thunderstormViolent weather with lightning
- storm cellDiscrete convective weather unit
supercell · mesocyclone · tornado · funnel · hail · microburst · downdraft · inflow · outflow · wind shear
current
Directed flow of charge
ventilation · chimney effect · flue · column · air movement · circulation · eddy · vortex
glider
Unpowered flying craft
- sailplaneEngineless soaring aircraft
- hang-gliderUnpowered airborne craft
- paragliderFoot-launched aircraft with fabric wing
hawk · eagle · vulture · condor · albatross · circling · spiraling · gaining altitude · ridge lift · cross-country
turbulence
Chaotic flow patterns
- air pocketLow-density atmospheric zone
- liftMechanism for vertical transport
- airspeedAircraft's atmospheric velocity
climb rate · rotor · flight planning · pilot · cockpit · altimeter · airborne · flight path
- convectionconvection, convection current, convection currents, convection cell, natural convection
- wind forceswind pressure, wind load, wind speed, gusts, crosswind
- weather phenomenatornado, wind, hurricane, gust, blizzard
- meteorologyweather, rain, wind, snow, clouds
- windbreeze, wind, gale, gust, gusts
- Airflowairflow, air flow, air circulation, air current, air vent
updraftdowndraft
Descending air current
downburst · sink · microburst · subsidence · wind shear
updraftdowndraft
Descending air current
sink · downwash · wind shear · turbulence
- thermal updraftsWarm air currents ascending