How does the convection of air produce thunderstorms?
http://www.flame.org/~cdoswell/publications/Tstms_EncycSchneider.pdf
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The convection of air plays a crucial role in the formation of thunderstorms. Thunderstorms are intense weather systems characterized by heavy rainfall, lightning, thunder, and often strong winds. They typically occur in warm and humid environments.
To understand how convection of air produces thunderstorms, let's break it down step by step:
1. Heating of the Earth's surface: The sun's energy heats the Earth's surface, particularly in regions with abundant moisture, such as tropical areas or near large bodies of water.
2. Warm air rises: As the Earth's surface heats up, the air near the surface also warms up. Warm air is less dense than cooler air, so it becomes buoyant and rises. This process is known as convection.
3. Formation of updrafts: As warm air rises, it creates vertical air currents called updrafts. These updrafts can carry moisture and heat high into the atmosphere.
4. Condensation: As the warm, moist air rises higher into the atmosphere, it encounters cooler temperatures. The moisture in the air begins to condense, forming cumulus clouds.
5. Development of thunderstorm cells: Within the cumulus clouds, updrafts continue to strengthen, causing the cloud to grow vertically. This growth allows for the separation of positive and negative charges within the cloud.
6. Creation of electric fields: The separation of positive and negative charges leads to an electric field within the cloud. The electric field intensifies as the updrafts and downdrafts within the cloud continue to develop.
7. Lightning and thunder: Eventually, the electric field becomes strong enough to overcome the resistance of the air, resulting in a discharge of electricity in the form of lightning. The rapid expansion of the air around the lightning bolt creates a shockwave, which we hear as thunder.
8. Precipitation and downdrafts: As the thunderstorm matures, the heavy precipitation within the cloud begins to fall. This falling precipitation generates downdrafts, which are high-speed currents of sinking air.
9. Rain, strong winds, and possible severe weather: The downdrafts, along with the updrafts, contribute to the formation of strong updraft-downdraft circulation within the thunderstorm. This circulation sustains the storm, producing heavy rainfall, gusty winds, and sometimes severe weather, including hail and tornadoes.
In summary, the convection of air in the form of updrafts and downdrafts plays a vital role in the development of thunderstorms. As warm, moist air rises, it cools and condenses, forming cumulus clouds. The vertical growth of these clouds leads to the separation of charges, resulting in lightning and thunder. The interaction of updrafts and downdrafts within the storm sustains its intensity, causing heavy precipitation and sometimes severe weather.