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A simple mathematical model of airflow in waving plant canopies

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Abstract

A simple mathematical model is proposed, which combines the effects of mean wind speed, plant spacing and the drag coefficients of individual plants to calculate the fluctuating airflow within a waving crop canopy. The model is non-linear and is only amenable to analytical treatment when linearized; however, the full non-linear version can be solved on an analogue computer.

The linear and non-linear results show unexpectedly good agreement, and the success of the linearization allows clear conclusions to be drawn about the relationship between the elasticity, geometry and mean wind speed through a stand of plants and the fluctuating components of airflow and stalk motion.

Finally, the analytical results are in qualitative agreement with wind-tunnel results from two model canopies with different characteristics.

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Finnigan, J.J., Mulhearn, P.J. A simple mathematical model of airflow in waving plant canopies. Boundary-Layer Meteorol 14, 415–431 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00121050

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00121050

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