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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 30 March 2016
Harvey has reported in this discussion observations of mean downflows in magnetic elements that increase in speed with depth. It is therefore pertinent to ask what role such flows may play in the production and maintainance of the flux concentrations.
Equilibrium Models
The first thing to be said is that such flows cannot directly influence the horizontal momentum balance, i.e. their dynamic pressure is negligible.
A steady internal flow such as that proposed by Ribes and Unno (1975) for chromospheric concentration would require supersonic flows with very large curvature at photospheric levels. There is no evidence for transverse flows of such magnitude.