Deep convection

Deep convection is a convective process in a medium, usually in an atmosphere or ocean, that in some sense spans the vertical.

Within the atmosphere, this means from the surface to above the 500 hPa level, generally stopping at or defining the tropopause at around 200 hPa.^[1] Most atmospheric deep convection occurs in the tropics as the rising branch of the Hadley circulation; it represents a strong coupling between the surface and the upper atmosphere which is largely absent in mid latitudes.

Oceanic deep convection only occurs at a few locations.^[2] While less dynamically important that in the atmosphere, it is responsible for the spreading of cold water through the low layers of the ocean. As such, it is important for the large-scale temperature structure of the whole ocean.

References

1. ^ "Shallow/Deep Convection". National Centers for Environmental Prediction. 15 March 1999. http://www.hpc.ncep.noaa.gov/international/training/deep/index.htm. 
2. ^ Helen Jones. "Open-ocean deep convection". http://puddle.mit.edu/~helen/oodc.html. 

See also

• Quasi-biennial oscillation