A Tree Swaying in a Turbulent Wind: A Scaling Analysis
Soft Condensed Matter
2014-07-11 v3 Fluid Dynamics
Abstract
A tentative scaling theory is presented of a tree swaying in a turbulent wind. It is argued that the turbulence of the air within the crown is in the inertial regime. An eddy causes a dynamic bending response of the branches according to a time criterion. The resulting expression for the penetration depth of the wind yields an exponent which appears to be consistent with that pertaining to the morphology of the tree branches. An energy criterion shows that the dynamics of the branches is basically passive. The possibility of hydrodynamic screening by the leaves is discussed.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1305.6955,
title = {A Tree Swaying in a Turbulent Wind: A Scaling Analysis},
author = {Theo Odijk},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1305.6955},
year = {2014}
}
Comments
7 pages, no figures, some updates and references added changed "damaged spring" to "damped spring" added subscript to surface area in section 4