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The horizontal cross‐sectional shape of convective plumes
Author(s) -
Davison Douglas S.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
quarterly journal of the royal meteorological society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.744
H-Index - 143
eISSN - 1477-870X
pISSN - 0035-9009
DOI - 10.1002/qj.49710142905
Subject(s) - plume , convective boundary layer , convection , turbulence , mixing (physics) , mechanics , meteorology , boundary layer , geology , convective mixing , atmospheric sciences , flux (metallurgy) , planetary boundary layer , geometry , environmental science , materials science , physics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , metallurgy
The horizontal cross‐sectional shape of the temperature field of convective plumes at a height of 3·5m in the atmospheric surface layer was observed to be very elongated in the downwind direction with a ratio of downstream to cross‐stream diameters of about 8:1. A dynamic explanation for this elongated shape is presented, based upon the minimization of the heat flux lost by a plume due to turbulent mixing around its boundary.