Convective momentum transport usually describes a vertical flux of the momentum of horizontal winds or currents. That momentum is carried like a non-conserved

flow tracer A flow tracer is any fluid property used to track flow, magnitude, direction, and circulation patterns. Tracers can be chemical properties, such as radioactive material, or chemical compounds, physical properties, such as density, temperature, ...

by vertical air motions in

convection Convection is single or multiphase fluid flow that occurs spontaneously due to the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoyancy). When the cause of the conve ...

. In the atmosphere, convective momentum transport by small but vigorous (

cumulus Cumulus clouds are clouds which have flat bases and are often described as "puffy", "cotton-like" or "fluffy" in appearance. Their name derives from the Latin ''cumulo-'', meaning ''heap'' or ''pile''. Cumulus clouds are low-level clouds, gener ...

type) cloudy updrafts can be understood as an interplay of three main mechanisms: *Vertical advection of ambient momentum due to subsidence of environmental air that compensates the in-cloud upward mass flux, *Detrainment of in-cloud momentum where updrafts stop ascending, *Accelerations by the

pressure gradient force In fluid mechanics, the pressure-gradient force is the force that results when there is a difference in pressure across a surface. In general, a pressure is a force per unit area, across a surface. A difference in pressure across a surface t ...

around clouds whose inner momentum differs from their environment. The net effect of these interacting mechanisms depends on the detailed configuration or 'organization' of the convective cloud or storm system.

References

Tropical meteorology Continuum mechanics {{classicalmechanics-stub

See also

References