Open ocean deep convection is examined with a nonhydrostatic model based on primitive equations. Strong cooling on the surface of the ocean enforces vertical motion which takes place in the narrow regions of convective cells. Different equations of state are considered, and it is shown that a linear equation of state with a constant thermal expansion coefficient cannot represent the buoyancy field and fluxes properly. The inclusion of the thermobaric effects leads to additional vertical acceleration in the whole water column. The parametrization of the convective fluxes by a convective adjustment algorithm represents the horizontal mean temperature wuite qell but suppresses the entire vertical mass transport within the convective cells. This mass transport may be important for the transport of other tracers. Investigation of an energy cycle of the convective motion sorts out sources and sinks and reveals the conversion between different forms of energy during convective events. Both the vertical and the horizontal component of the Earth rotation vector contribute to the time mean energy balance with the same order of magnitude, but the instantaneous amplitudes of the distinct terms may differ substantially. A sensitivity study with respect to eddy and thermal diffusion coefficients distinguishes two regions; at high values of the diffusivities the velocities and tracer distributions show that a strong dependence on this values occurs, while for sufficiently small coefficients, only a weak dependence is observed. ¿ American Geophysical Union 1995.