Onset of Manifest Convection in a Layer of Fluid with a Time-Dependent Surface Temperature

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Abstract
Experiments have been performed in deep layers of fluid in which the bottom surface temperature was increased at a constant rate. It was found that when the thermal boundary layer was only a small fraction of the total depth of the fluid layer, the onset of manifest convection was independent of the layer depth. The predictions of linear time‐dependent theory that the time of onset of manifest convection should vary with the ‐ 2 5 power of the rate of bottom surface temperature increase and that the horizontal spacing of the convection cells should vary with the ‐ 1 5 power of the rate of bottom surface temperature increase were verified within reasonable limits.