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Moist penetrative convection and the formation of incipient cloud

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Abstract

The temporal development of the profiles of potential temperature and specific humidity in a convection layer is predicted. The profiles satisfy the equations for the conservation of heat and total water. The convection is supported by a field of thermals which rise from the surface. Incipient cloud forms by condensation in thermals which rise above the convection layer and intrude into the overlying stable region. Model predictions are compared with laboratory experiments and field observations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cloud Physics, CSIRO, Sydney, Australia

    M. J. Manton

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  1. M. J. Manton
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Manton, M.J. Moist penetrative convection and the formation of incipient cloud. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 15, 265–287 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02652601

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