Air Currents

How Are Air Currents Generated?

The following experiment demonstrates that an unequal heating of earth and water causes air currents.

Material: glass basin, hot water, a plate with ice cubes, incense

Place the incense, the warm water and the plate with the ice cubes under the glass basin.

The smoke will show you the direction of the air current under the glass basin.

Here, the incense is near the ice: The smoke can’t ascend.

Here, the incense is close to the warm water: The smoke ascends and circulates.