convectiondriven

Convection-driven refers to processes or systems in which convective transport, produced by buoyancy forces due to density differences, is the dominant mechanism for moving heat, mass, or momentum. In such systems, diffusion or conduction plays a secondary role, and the flow is typically organized into vertically extended, buoyancy-driven motions.

In atmospheric science, convection drives the vertical transport of heat and moisture, leading to cloud formation, thunderstorms, and the development of weather systems. In oceans, convection occurs when surface cooling, evaporation, or salinity variations alter density, causing mixing that can transport heat and nutrients into deeper layers; thermohaline convection refers to density-driven mixing by both heat and salt.

In geophysics, mantle convection is the slow overturn of silicate rocks that moves tectonic plates and recycles surface material. In the Earth's core, convection of liquid iron sustains the geodynamo and the magnetic field.

In astrophysics, convection is a primary energy-transport mechanism in many stars’ outer layers and interiors. Convection-driven flows also produce surface granulation and influence stellar evolution.

In engineering and fluid dynamics, flows can be convection-driven when advective transport dominates, such as in cooling ducts or combustion chambers. These systems are often characterized by high Peclet and Rayleigh numbers.

Modeling such systems frequently uses the Navier–Stokes equations with buoyancy terms, under approximations like the Boussinesq or anelastic, and employs dimensionless numbers (Rayleigh, Prandtl) to predict onset and vigor of convection.