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Observations of the effect of wind on the cooling of active lava flows
Author(s) -
Keszthelyi Laszlo,
Harris Andrew J. L.,
Dehn Jonathan
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2003gl017994
Subject(s) - lava , convection , atmospheric sciences , convective heat transfer , wind speed , environmental science , meteorology , geology , heat transfer , geophysics , volcano , mechanics , physics , seismology
We present the first direct observations of the cooling of active lava flows by the wind. We confirm that atmospheric convective cooling processes (i.e., the wind) dominate heat loss over the lifetime of a typical pahoehoe lava flow. In fact, the heat extracted by convection is greater than predicted, especially at wind speeds less than 5 m/s and surface temperatures less than 400°C. We currently estimate that the atmospheric heat transfer coefficient is about 45–50 W m −2 K −1 for a 10 m/s wind and a surface temperature ∼500°C. Further field experiments and theoretical studies should expand these results to a broader range of surface temperatures and wind speeds.