ISSN:
1573-1472
Source:
Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
Topics:
Geosciences
,
Physics
Notes:
Abstract Electrochemical modelling may provide fast order-of-magnitude estimates of energy and mass transfer in crops and partly fill the gap between rigid, expensive field experiments and oversimplified mathematical modelling. The technique comprises breaking up a flowing electrolyte in a manner analogous — but not necessarily completely similar — to the way the atmospheric flow is broken up by crops and studying the flow of ions in the electrolyte. The effects of variations in free-flow velocity, plant spacing, row spacing and orientation on velocity field, transfer coefficients and eddy diffusivities have been studied in an electrochemical model under conditions relevant to well-ventilated crops with relatively simple canopy structure. A one-dimensional analytical model is developed for the transfer at solid surfaces, with direct proportionality between transfer coefficient and eddy diffusivity. The proportionality constantα has values in the model of (3.5±0.5)×10−3cm−1 at the ground and (5+-2)×10−4cm−1 (for a cylindrical probe) near canopy top. The latter is not too different from the values proposed for foliage surfaces in real canopies, viz., approximately 1×10−3 cm−1 (Philip, 1964) and 7×10−4 cm−1 (Uchijima, 1966).α may therefore become a useful parameter in scaling transfer coefficients from systems with different molecular diffusion properties. A tentative extrapolation of measured data to corresponding values in air is given. The agreement between predicted values and presently available field data is encouraging although more precise field data are required for a final judgment on the validity of the model.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02153556
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