RADIATIVE COOLING IN THE LOWEST LAYERS OF AN ATMOSPHERE WARMER THAN THE GROUND

Abstract

Radiative cooling is computed for a warm, isothermal atmosphere streaming out over a cold surface. The study shows that the rate of cooling at heights from a few centimeters up to a few meters varies inversely as the square root of the distance from the ground, and that it varies somewhat more rapidly at larger distances. The difference in radiative cooling at low levels between an isothermal and an adiabatic atmosphere is computed and found to be negligible in comparison with values derived from the isothermal atmosphere. Comparison of radiative with observed cooling shows that radiative cooling is relatively small compared with cooling by turbulence in winds around 15 mph.