What causes convention currents?
heat rising and cool air falling
Convention currents are caused by the uneven heating of a fluid such as a gas or a liquid. When one part of the fluid is heated more than the other, it expands and becomes less dense, leading to rising of hotter fluid and sinking of cooler fluid. This rising and sinking movement of fluid creates a flow or circulation, known as convention currents.
For example, in the earth’s atmosphere, the sun heats the air near the equator more than the air near the poles, causing the warm air to rise and cooler air to flow in to replace it, resulting in the circulation of air known as global winds. Similarly, in the oceans, the sun heats the water near the equator more than the water near the poles, causing warm water to rise and cooler water to flow in to replace it, resulting in the circulation of water known as ocean currents.
Convention currents also occur in other settings such as in water boilers and during cooking in pots or pans, as well as in the atmosphere of planets like Jupiter and Saturn.
More Answers:
The Equator: An Insight into its Length, Location, Climate, and Ecological SignificanceUnderstanding the Clockwise Ocean Currents in the Northern Hemisphere: the Coriolis Effect and the Role of Continents.
Understanding Salinity: Impacts on Water Quality and Ecosystems