Convection Basics
What is the energy source that drives all convection on Earth?
The Sun (solar energy)
Air moves from ______ pressure to ______ pressure.
High pressure to low pressure
A sea breeze happens during the ______.
Day
Warm ocean currents move on the surface because warm water is ______ dense.
Less
Process in which the Sun heats the ground
Radiation
In a convection current, warm air or water does what?
Rises
Warm, rising air creates what kind of pressure area?
Low pressure
During a sea breeze, air moves from…
Sea → land.
What causes deep ocean currents?
Differences in density due to temperature and salinity.
Process in which the ground heats the air
Conduction
In a convection current, cold air or water does what?
Sinks
Cold, sinking air creates what kind of pressure area?
High Pressure
Why does air move from the sea toward the land during the day?
Land heats faster → warm air rises → cool air from the sea moves in.
What mainly drives surface ocean currents?
Global Winds
Force that pulls denser, cooler fluids toward Earth
Gravity
What must be true about heating for a convection current to form: even or uneven?
Uneven heating
What creates global wind patterns on Earth?
Uneven heating of the Earth (causing convection currents).
A land breeze happens during the ______.
Nighttime
Cold ocean currents originate near which regions?
The Poles
Layer of Earth where convection currents cause tectonic plates to move
Mantle
Describe the full cycle of a convection current using the terms warm, rise, cool, sink
Warm fluid rises → moves sideways → cools → sinks → repeat
Why does air at the equator rise while air at the poles sinks?
The equator receives more direct sunlight → air is warm and less dense (rises); poles receive less sunlight → air is colder and denser (sinks).
Explain why land breezes reverse direction at night.
Land cools faster → becomes high pressure → air moves toward warmer, lower-pressure ocean.
Density differences in ocean water drive the global conveyor belt. This global circulation system is called...
Thermohaline Circulation
This must be added to a system to cause movement of a fluid
Energy