I think you are on the right track with the phenomena of the moving Vs the static thermometer. To be more precise, the static thermometer is working by conduction only. The water in contact with the thermometer absorbs the heat from the thermometer and lowers its temperature to the water temperature while heating the water imperceptibly. When you move the thermometer you add convection to the cooling process and you are speeding the cooling process of the thermometer. All this assumes that the water is at the same temperature everywhere you move it and maybe this should be called an average temperature. The process of wind chill is a different mechanism. To really have wind chill you need to be moving air over a thermometer that can evaporate water off its surface continuously. This would be the "wet bulb" temperature. The cooling effect is augmented by the evaporation of the water out of the wet cloth and the temperature measured is actually less than the temperature of the air. This also applies to your body, wind chill causes you to cool by conduction, convection, and evaporation from your pores. It is hard to say that wind chill affects things that are dry like your car or your kayak on the roof. I don't think there is a water chill effect. Anyway, I'm ranting for no reason. Towing the thermometer quickly produces the same effect as holding it still provided all the water is at the same temperature. This makes me wonder why the weatherman gives us a "heat index" in the summer but doesn't deduct for a wind chill factor? *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Fri Jul 05 2002 - 16:52:21 PDT
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