ON THE 'THUNDERSTORM - HIGH CONTROVERSY'.
Abstract
From 1942 to 1952, what is referred to as the 'Thunderstorm - High Controversy' took place among meteorologists throughout the world. The controversy came about when attempts were made to explain, from dynamical considerations (i.e., vertically accelerating and decelerating air), the high pressure in the pressure nose which forms beneath thunderstorms. Some meteorologists attributed the pressure rise to upward accelerating air, but others concluded that such accelerations should produce a pressure dip. Authors, who refer to the papers involved, mistakenly assume that precipitation downdrafts were being considered as the cause of the rise, as is now accepted. Therefore the purpose of this paper is twofold: First, to investigate the assumptions made in the papers and point out implicit and explicit errors; and, second, to explain pressure changes beneath an idealized developing thunderstorm in terms of the integrated influences of hydrostatic and hydrodynamic pressure within and beneath the cloud. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0686751
Entities
People
- Rodger A. Brown
Organizations
- University of Chicago