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Theory Of Droplet Growth In Clouds. I. The Transient Stage Of The Boundary-Coupled Simultaneous Heat And Mass Transport In Cloud Formation, John C. Carstens, Joseph T. Zung

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Two solutions to the system of equations describing the simultaneous heat and mass transport involved in the condensational growth of a droplet in a supersaturated atmosphere are presented. The first, valid for very short times, describes the transient stage of such growth; the second, valid for longer times, presupposes the establishment of a steady-state condition. The two are shown to be complementary for the cases examined. The equations examined satisfy the usual boundary conditions imposed on a drop in a concentric sphere as required by the cellular model for cloud formation. Hence our results can be immediately extended to the …