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A theory of convective clouds is presented, the fundamental hypothesis being that the ascending current in a cloud entrains air from its surroundings. A method is developed for computing the amount of entrainment from a knowledge of the temperature and specific humidity inside and outside the cloud. The concentration of water in the form of drops is also determined. Finally the theory is applied to some observations of trade cumulus made near San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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Henry Stommel (1947) studied this question.
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