Detector Dogs and Scent Movement

Deep dive into Scent movement and the wind reading from Detector Dogs and Scent Movement by Tom Osterkamp

Date of Entry

17:55

Time Spent

1h 20m

Deep dive

Activity Type

Reading

Outcome
task_alt

Completed

Detailed Account

Notes:

  • Scent movement begins when molecules leave the source and diffuse through a boundary layer in a plume upwards.
  • wind speed affects movement dramatically, with no wind and moving through only diffusion it would take 2 hours to move 1ft, with a wind speed of 0.7mph it would take a single second to do the same. (basically diffusion is not a factor in scent movement in wind or water)
  • Scent can move the length of a football field in a minute at a wind speed of 3mph
  • Learnt about how Scent is generally heavier than standard air so as it gets pulled down hill it would pool at the bottom.
  • Different air stability will affect how scent plumes move.
    • e.g Looping plumes have strong convective instability causing the plume to rise and fall which can create confusion when searching.