Boundary Layer Resistance and Temperature Distribution on Still and Flapping Leaves

Abstract

If the evaporation is uniform on a flat exposed leaf, forced convection will also be nearly uniform, and the leaf temperature will vary with the square root of the distance from the leading edge. Then the resistance expressed in terms of the proper, i.e., average, temperature has the same value as the resistance of a leaf at uniform temperature. Compared to a steady laminar flow, the turbulence of a realistic wind decreases the resistance by a constant factor of about 2.5. The same constant factor was observed whether the leaf was flapping or not, when the wind velocity was not too low.