Inclined buoyant puffs

Abstract

The motion of puffs which move in the direction of the buoyancy force was considered in a previous paper (Richards 1965). We now consider cases in which the directions of motion and of buoyancy are inclined or opposed. The main assumption is that the distributions of velocity inside the puffs are similar throughout the motion. Although this assumption is thought to be accurate only when the surroundings are neutral, we have reason to think that the same assumption may sometimes be used as an approximation to the internal distribution of velocity in other types of environment.The particular case of motion when the buoyancy force is constant is calculated in detail. The calculations are supported by observations from new laboratory experiments.