Field studies of the effect of entrainment upon the structure of clouds at Great Dun Fell

✍ Scribed by M. B. Baker; A. M. Blyth; D. J. Carruthers; T. W. Choularton; G. Fullarton; M. J. Gay; J. Latham; C. S. Mill; M. H. Smith; I. M. Stromberg; S. J. Caughey; B. J. Conway

• Book ID: 104575429
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1982
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 1012 KB
• Volume: 108
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0035-9009
• DOI: 10.1002/qj.49710845810

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

A description is given of experiments and calculations performed to investigate the effect of the entrainment of undersaturated air upon the microphysical structure of cap clouds at Great Dun Fell, Cumbria. Three case studies are presented: in I the properties of the cloud were essentially adiabatic; II provided evidence for mixing intermediate between the homogeneous and extreme inhomogeneous types; in III the mixing was extremely inhomogeneous. Consistent with this picture, the time constant for turbulent erosion of the entrained parcels of air is significantly greater in II than in III. Spectral changes observed in II and III agree well with predictions from a diffusive model of mixing (Baker and Latham 1982).