GENERAL GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The vertical movement of air is called air current. Temperature differences can cause air currents because warmer air is less dense than cooler air, causing the warmer air to appear ‘lighter’. Air currents can be caused by differences in temperature, pressure, or impurity concentration.

Detailed explanation-2: -Air in the atmosphere moves around the world in a pattern called global atmospheric circulation. Even with disruptions like weather fronts and storms, there is a consistent pattern to how air moves around our planet’s atmosphere.

Detailed explanation-3: -The vertical ascending current, called a thermal, may reach an altitude of 3 km (2 miles) or more. The greater the radius of the thermal, the higher it is likely to ascend. Updrafts and downdrafts also occur as part of the turbulence that is created when air passes over topographic barriers such as mountains.

Detailed explanation-4: -Air currents are caused by the sun’s uneven heating of Earth. As sunlight beams down on Earth, it warms some areas, particularly the tropics, more than others. As Earth’s surface is heated, it warms the air just above it. The warmed air expands and becomes lighter than the surrounding air.

Detailed explanation-5: -Answer and Explanation: A rising air current is called an updraft. An updraft generally refers to any gas that moves up in any environment, so it also applies to air in the atmosphere that moves up as well. Updrafts are used by birds when they fly.