Thermal Circulations and Turbulence

Circulations that are brought on by changes in air temperature, in which warm air rises and colder air sinks are known as thermal circulations. In general, these circulations extend no higher than a few kilometers above the ground, and they weaken with height. Surface heating and instability also causes turbulence to extend to greater altitudes. Thermals, small rising parcels of warm air produced by the uneven heating of the earth’s surface, generate convective cells. This vertical motion is known as thermal turbulence and is at a minimum during the early morning and increases throughout the day. Also, thermal turbulence can develop in urbanized areas.